Austen Loves Bukowski
by SometimesThis
Summary: Beginning at 'There's The Rub', after 'confessing' to Dean that she is the one who likes Jess, Paris decides to take the ruse one step further, but how far are she and the town hoodlum really prepared to go? [Disclaimer: I do not own the characters.]
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

It didn't really bother Jess that he had to work a Sunday at the diner. Downstairs was preferable to upstairs for as long as the construction work was going on in the apartment, and he had been treated to a reasonably long conversation with Rory before she was whisked away by The Jolly Green Giant for a day of soda pops and first-base make outs.

Once lunch was over, the place quietened down to practically nothing and no-one anyway. Jess could get away with hiding in the corner with a book for the most part, which was usually a preference. He was only called to action when Luke insisted he stand behind the counter whilst he went out for an hour, and even then, with no-one to serve, Jess was free to continue reading.

The bell over the door got his attention, but he didn't actually look up until he got to the bottom of the page. He got a real surprise when he saw who was stood waiting for him.

"Paris. Huh," he said, putting the marker in his book and shoving it in his back pocket. "You really so desperate to fight with me about literature you came all the way back to Stars Hollow again today?" he checked. "Or is it the lure of my uncle's mac and cheese that has you in thrall?"

"You're hilarious," she told him, completely dead-pan, "did anyone ever tell you that?"

"Not really."

"There's a reason why."

Jess smirked at that. He had learnt pretty fast last night that although Paris was cracked for not appreciating the Beats, she did have a sickle wit and was as whip fast with the comebacks as Rory could boast. She started out being an annoying chaperone to his night at Casa Gilmore, and ended up as someone he could think of as an equal in a lot of ways. She was best described as interesting, Jess thought, he couldn't do better than that.

"So, why are you really here?" he asked then. "'Cause if you're looking for Rory..."

"I'm not," Paris told him easily. "I know she's spending the entire day with the boyfriend. I actually came here with a proposition for you."

"And I'm probably not interested," he said with an overdone smile, turning to walk away.

Jess got precisely two steps before Paris' next words stopped him dead in his tracks.

"It has to do with Rory," she said, noting his sudden stop with a smile he saw when he turned back. "Oh, look, I suddenly have your attention."

"Is there gonna be a point to any of this any time soon?" asked Jess as he returned to where Paris had now hopped up onto a stool.

Checking left and right to ensure nobody was listening in, she leaned across the counter towards him and gestured him a little closer. Jess was starting to wonder if this was a professional hit or at least some kind of warning to back off from their mutual friend. He wouldn't listen, but it might be amusing to hear.

"You like Rory," said Paris easily. "I know it, you know it, Dean sure as hell knows it. Rory, she's playing dumb, but we both know that's not really her style," she summarised quickly, before taking a deep breath. "So, here's the deal; you want to be with Rory and I'm pretty sure she feels the same, but good, safe, puppy dog Dean keeps her from doing anything about this little triangle situation you all find yourself in."

"And?" Jess prompted when she didn't immediately continue. "What? Super-Paris is going to fix everything? How do you plan on doing that?"

"Using the only emotion more powerful than love and loyalty," she told him frankly. "Jealousy."

Jess couldn't help but look intrigued. This conversation had sure taken a turn he never could have expected, and rightly or wrongly, he was interested to hear more.

"Right now you're too available, too easy to string along," Paris continued, though he noticed she wasn't quite looking him in the eye anymore, "but if you were dating someone else, well, then Rory would have to act fast or miss out."

"And in this scenario I'd be dating, who?" he asked, already pretty sure the answer ought to be clear. "You?" he tried when she didn't seem willing to say so.

Paris squirmed, and it was almost too entertaining.

"We wouldn't really be dating," she said sharply, "it'd just be for show. A clever ruse to make Rory see what she's missing out on," she explained, eyes mostly on the her own hands fidgeting on the counter and voice rising a little too high. "It's what you want, right?"

It was true and Jess couldn't find a way to deny it that Paris would ever believe. If she hadn't known before that something was there between him and Rory, she had been at the house last night, so it was pretty darn obvious to her now. It amused and intrigued him that Paris seemed to think he could make Rory happier than Dean did. That certainly wasn't the opinion of others, namely Lorelai. Clearly Paris was as smart as everybody said.

"Let's say you're right," he said then, not giving an inch. "What I don't get is why you want to do this for me."

"I'm not doing it for you," she snapped, rolling her eyes for good measure. "Not just for you anyway. Rory deserves to be in the relationship that she wants. As much as she bugs me a not small part of the time, she's a decent person and she always comes through for me in the end. She's been a real friend and I want her to be happy. I actually think you would make her happy, and so, the plan," she explained.

Jess' eyes narrowed as he stared at her. Paris hadn't come off like the nervous type either time he spent time with her before. She was opinionated, book smart, and unafraid in the face of a good verbal spar, and yet right now she was unravelling. Guys made her nervous, or perhaps not so much the guys themselves as the idea of dating them, even by way of a ruse. It wasn't as if she really liked him, Jess wasn't so fat-headed as to presume that, though it might be entertaining if it were true.

"And all you get out of this is Rory's happiness?" he checked, leaning towards her over the counter. "Nothing else?"

Paris huffed a sigh.

"I don't object to your company," she admitted, "or to the fact that having a boyfriend, even a fake one, would improve my social standing amongst my peers."

Jess smiled. The straight up honesty was refreshing at least, and the plan Paris had cooked up wasn't half bad. He didn't really see what he had to lose.

"So, you're gonna use me and I'm gonna use you?"

"Does that bother you?"

"Nope."

"Good." Paris nodded once, then held out her hand to Jess. "Then we have a deal?"

Jess took that offered hand and shook it.

"We have a deal."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"What is the matter with you?"

Luke seemed irritated by the fact he even had to ask that question. Jess noticed he seemed irritated a not small part of the time regardless, and figured his own presence in his uncle's life was likely the cause. Rory had said as much once, and though Jess had tried a little harder since then, it never seemed to make a huge difference.

"Nothing's the matter with me," he said, eyes never leaving his book.

"Really?" his uncle checked. "Because you seem to be smiling a lot today and that is enough to make me more than a little nervous."

Jess looked up then, mostly out of surprise. He hadn't realised he was smiling, though if Luke said he was he must have been, he supposed. It made sense when he thought about it. Though his book wasn't at all funny, he hadn't been paying rapt attention to it this whole time. His mind kept on wandering to the fun he'd had last night, and not just when he was telling Forester where to shove his threatening looks either. It was cool hanging out with Rory and Paris, and strangely, it had been similarly fun spending time with just Paris today. He really hadn't expected that.

"I'm not allowed to be happy?" he asked Luke then. "You'd prefer I was miserable, is that it?"

Luke opened his mouth to answer then closed it again fast. A long tired sigh escaped his lips as he ran a hand over his face. This was ridiculous. Pulling up a chair, he sat down near where Jess was perched on his bed.

"Jess, I don't want you to be miserable," he said definitely. "I don't... I know I'm not always great at being a parental figure or whatever the hell it is I'm supposed to be, but I'm trying, okay?"

"Did I say you weren't?" Jess countered, wondering immediately why he had.

Luke was trying to be nice to him, trying to help him out, and he knew it. The devastation that was soon to be the other half of the apartment was testament to the fact Luke planned for Jess to stay and make a life here, at least for the foreseeable future. He was trying. He seemed to have missed the part where Jess was trying too.

"I give up," muttered Luke then as he got up to walk away.

Jess figured he could throw the guy a bone. It wouldn't kill him. Besides, Luke could be of use to him yet in the grand scheme of things.

"If you really wanna know, I was smiling because I have a date."

"A date?"

"That's what I said."

Luke was smiling too when he turned to look at his nephew again.

"With who?" he asked, thinking immediately of Rory.

After all, Lorelai had said just the other day that she thought there was something between Jess and her daughter, and they did always seem pretty close when Luke saw them together. Of course, there was that Dean kid to consider, but maybe he was out of the picture.

"You remember Paris, right?" said Jess, trying not to smirk when he saw Luke's eyes widen too far. He half expected his pupils to roll out onto the floor like a cartoon.

"Paris? As in Rory's friend, Paris? The one who accused me of running a cat house up here?"

"Yup, that's her." Jess laughed recalling the incident.

"I thought she was actually going to take a swing at me that day!"

"What can I say, Uncle Luke? I like a woman who's passionate about things."

Jess didn't say anymore, just got up and walked away. He only went as far as the bathroom, but right now he was just keen to make an exit before the questioning began. He and Paris had worked out a lot of potential issues in their plan over the hours she was at the diner, but Jess didn't feel like talking to Luke about his love-life, even if it was all fake right now.

As for Paris, Jess could honestly say he was kind of looking forward to their first pseudo-date that had been cleverly arranged for next Friday night. It meant Rory couldn't interfere in any way, since she always had to go to her grandparents for dinner at the end of the week, but she might just stumble upon her two friends at the end of the night and that could be interesting.

Besides, Paris was strangely good company when they were on the right topic. They could argue books for hours without stopping, Jess was sure on that, and though he questioned some of her literary tastes, it was cool to meet a girl that even had literary tastes. So far she was only the second he had come across since moving here, and Jess planned to embrace that in any way he could.

* * *

"Hey, babe," Lorelai greeted her daughter with a wide smile. "How was International Dean Day?"

"It was fine," said Rory absently. "I just had the weirdest conversation with Paris."

"With Paris? Didn't we send her back home this morning, all full of a sugar and carb hangover?"

"We did." Rory nodded her agreement, coming to join her mom on the couch. "And I honestly didn't think about her again at all until me and Dean were walking back through town. We passed the diner and Paris came right out of the front door, smiling at me like her face was going to split in two."

"Did you ask her what had her so giddy?"

"Apparently, it's Jess."

"Jess? As in Luke's nephew Jess? The monosyllabic, gutter-cleaning, alone-night crasher that we know and try not to loathe?"

Rory smiled at that. It was almost impossible not to find such an accurate and yet ridiculous description funny. Still, she was serious again in a second as her mind went back to a few minutes ago outsides of Luke's.

"You remember when I told you how Paris covered for me and told Dean that she had a crush on Jess?"

Lorelai visibly shuddered, proving that she did, though Rory wasn't sure if it was the idea of Paris in love or Jess and Paris in particular that had her so squicked. She chose not to ask.

"Well, after that... You see, Paris thinks that Jess likes me, and I told her that was crazy, but that even if he did, I am totally committed to Dean."

"Which is true," Lorelai said, somewhere between a statement and a question.

"Which is very true," Rory confirmed, before continuing, "but then Paris was saying that she could understand if I did like Jess - which I don't, at least not in more than a friend-ish way - because he's cute and even though he has questionable literary tastes, at least he has literary tastes."

"Paris Geller, the ultimate flatterer," said Lorelai, rolling her eyes. "So, basically, Paris wasn't lying when she said she was crushing on Jess?"

"Maybe not," Rory considered. "It seems like they made some kind of connection here last night, because Paris said she came to hang out at the diner with Jess, and that they were going to go out sometime soon."

"He asked her out?"

"I guess so, or she asked him? I was kind of too shocked by the idea of the two of them together that I didn't think to ask."

Rory couldn't quite figure out what the strange feeling in the pit of her stomach really was. She supposed it was born of confusion and the awkwardness of two people she considered in a friend-ish way potentially hooking up. She didn't care, of course. She was dating Dean, so it really didn't matter to her if Jess dated Paris or anyone else for that matter. Similarly, Paris was kind of a friend, and Rory wanted her to be happy. If dating Jess was what pleased her, she should do that. All these things duly considered, Rory really wasn't sure why she felt so weird right now.

"Okay, well, I guess we should be happy for them, right?" said Lorelai after a long pause. "I mean, Jess is kind of a hoodlum, and Paris is part-robot, part-dictator-in-training, but they do say there's somebody out there for everybody. Maybe it's one of those freaky opposites attract things. Could work, I guess," she said, shrugging her shoulders and finally looking at Rory again. "You think so, hon?"

"Um, yeah, I guess it could," she agreed, though she didn't seem entirely convinced.

Honestly, Rory was feeling too strange to think clearly, and she didn't like that at all.

* * *

For the first time in too long, Paris Geller returned to her empty house with a smile on her face. Not that her home was ever entirely devoid of people, they had a staff, but her parents were almost always elsewhere, be that together or apart, and Paris often got lonely, even if she didn't like to admit that to anyone else. Today that didn't matter, because today had gone very, very well. It wasn't so great that she had no-one to talk to about it, but she would live, maybe write some of what she was feeling down in her journal, that sometimes helped.

It was strange to think that dating could make her so happy. Usually every thrill Paris got in her life was via academics and goals achieved. She supposed she could count getting her first real date with a man as reaching a milestone, but then this was no more real than her pseudo-date with Tristan last year that had come only as a result of Rory's interference. Gilmore had meant well, but Paris had felt so foolish when she realised the truth. Now at least she knew what she was doing. Paris was well-aware that her date with Jess for Friday night was no more real than her night out with Tristan, but it was her choice this time around.

"It's a means to an end," she muttered to herself, climbing the stairs to her room. "There are plenty of advantages to the arrangement."

She had told Jess the same thing, and he hadn't taken much convincing. Paris would be more pleased about that if she wasn't sure all his interest lie in Rory. The fake dating would lead to Miss Gilmore's jealousy and doubtless throw her into Jess' arms before long, but in the meantime, Paris could tell Madeline and Louise, and anyone else who ever made her feel bad for being eternally single, that she now had a boyfriend. Not a cousin paid to take her to a dance or some geeky no-hoper that she threatened with violence and destruction. Jess Mariano was actually cute. Some might say hot, but Paris wasn't really the type to use such a word, at least not out loud. He knew literature and movies, and when Paris talked he listened without rolling his eyes or thinking she was a freak. At the same time, he had the cajones to question her opinions and tell her she was cracked when he really didn't agree. As much as she should hate that, Paris actually admired it, she liked it. She liked Jess, perhaps a little more than was healthy when her dating him was purely for show and not at all founded in mutual attraction.

"Why would he be attracted to you?" she asked her reflection in the mirror. "When Rory is stood right there, why would he even look at you?"

Turning her face away, Paris threw herself down on her bed and opened up her journal to write it all out until she felt better. She was smiling before long, thinking of Friday, her first date with Jess. Sure, it wouldn't be a real date, but it would be time spent alone with him, and maybe that was good enough for now.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Paris glared at her hand when it dared to shake. This was ridiculous. She was not nervous about going on a date with Jess Mariano. It wasn't even a real date as such. He wasn't picking her up, they weren't going out to dinner in some fancy place or hitting a concert where tickets cost a bomb. She was just driving over to Stars Hollow to watch a movie and maybe eat after, that was all. The main point was to be seen there as a couple, get the gossip mongers to ply their trade and have Rory hear all the juicy details. If there were any juicy details, of course. Paris really wasn't sure how far to push this or how Jess was likely to act on their first fake date. They had ground rules in place, they had to have, but it was all kind of new territory even then.

"Think how good this will be for you," she told her reflection in the mirror. "Good practice for when a real dating prospect comes along."

She smiled then, thinking back to Monday at Chilton when she had the pleasure of telling Madeline and Louise about the massive development in her social life.

"I'm sorry, could you repeat that slower?" said Louise, eyes wide and mouth potentially wider. "I mean, slow and clear enough for Madeline."

"Hey!" her friend protested, before shaking her head. "Actually, yeah, slower would be good because I don't think I get it."

"It's not that complicated, girls," said Paris, smiling too much and knowing it. "A guy asked me out and I said yes. It had to happen eventually, that I would succumb to the charms of some male of the species. Finally it seems I may have found someone almost worthy of my time."

"So, who is this lucky man?" asked Louise, rolling her eyes, thinking Paris hadn't noticed though of course she had.

"You don't know him, thank God," she told her, face in her locker for a moment. "But Rory here can fill you in," she added, seeing Miss Gilmore's approach. "I was just letting Louise and Madeline in on the news about me and Jess."

"Oh, yeah." Rory nodded. "That's... It's definitely news."

Paris knew she had to use Rory to prove herself. Even she understood it was a tough sell to have her friends believe she had a man in her life. It was a shock to Paris too, or would be if this relationship were more than a business arrangement. Not that she thought of Jess as purely a pawn in her plans. He could be a friend, she supposed, a sparring partner in a verbal battle of wits at the very least. A man was never sexier to Paris than when he was fighting back against her - so many were weak and terrified to try. Jess earnt her respect all too easily. She liked him, even if she didn't plan on telling him so.

"Jess is Luke's nephew," Rory had told the girls a few days ago, confirming that he both existed and was as Paris described him in the ensuing conversation.

"Luke?" said Madeline.

"He runs the diner in Stars Hollow."

"Jess is... poor?" asked Louise then, suddenly very unimpressed.

Madeline was still interested. "Ooh, is he the bad boy type?"

"You could probably categorise him that way," Paris cut in before Rory could say another word, "but he's smart too. Book smart."

"A nerd?" Louise frowned.

"No, Jess isn't." Rory shook her head. "He's just-"

"Is he cute?" Madeline asked Paris, as if Rory was invisible at this point.

"Beyond cute," Paris confirmed. "In fact, I would say he more than measures up to the guys in this place."

Louise and Madeline shared a look, no longer sure that they could disbelieve their friend. "So, this Jess is actually real, and you two have an actual date set up?" Louise recapped.

"Yes, to all of the above," confirmed Paris, the three of them walking away and leaving Rory far behind. "This Friday night, Jess is taking me out on a date. I don't know why you girls are so shocked. Isn't Friday night always date night? Well, unless you're Gilmore, of course," she said, acting a look over her shoulder. "Some people have other arrangements."

Madeline and Louise had actually looked impressed. Paris didn't hate that at all. Part of her reason for setting up this arrangement with Jess was to get their respect in the one way she never had it before. Her friends could always look up to her academically, they could even be a little jealous about her family's status and fortune since the Gellers did outrank both the Lynns and Grants that way. The one thing they always beat her in was their social lives and especially their track records with the boys. Now Paris had a man of her own, even if it was all fake. Madeline and Louise didn't need to know that, and when the day came that Rory and Jess ended up together, well, Paris would cross that bridge when she came to it. She wouldn't lose face, she knew that much. She could always say she had Jess first, and she could arrange some public break up where she was the one to end things. She couldn't imagine for a moment that Jess would care. Reputation certainly didn't seem to matter to him. Few men would admit to a stranger that they had read Jane Austen and liked it.

Paris smiled, thinking back to that conversation and the one that followed the next day. She had a tendency to talk at people rather than to them, Paris was well aware of that, but with Jess she didn't feel the need, and wouldn't have been given the chance if she tried. He was her equal when it came to a good literary debate, and she really hadn't been exaggerating at all when she told the girls how cute he was. Honestly, Paris hadn't looked forward to a Friday night like this in a very, very long time, and yet now it was here, she really could not stop shaking.

"Get a grip, Paris!" she ordered herself, trying again with the mascara wand that she was hardly an expert at applying anyway. "You can do this."

* * *

Jess looked out of the diner window and saw Lorelai's Jeep fly by. That was the Gilmore girls headed off to Friday Night Dinner, whilst he himself had his own plans with one Paris Geller. It was weird to Jess that he actually wasn't dreading this, weirder still that he was almost looking forward to it. Sure, some of it was probably because he liked the idea of seeing the movie showing at the Black-White-Read, and removing himself from the last of the construction noise at the diner wouldn't hurt either, but some of it had to be the company.

Paris was a nut in a lot of ways. She dissed the Beats and seemed obsessed with school, things that Jess really did not get. On the other hand, at least she knew who Kerouac and Bukowski were, she agreed that a large section of poetry just wasn't worth the effort, and seemed happy to be given an education in fast food that she was sorely lacking. She quipped almost as well as the Gilmore girls, and she was smart. Also, Jess had to admit, she wasn't exactly bad looking. Probably dressed up some she looked good. Maybe he would find out for sure tonight.

Either way, he was doubtless in for a decent and lively conversation, a good movie, and company for dinner. Jess didn't object to any of that, or to the fact he was about to cause quite the stir amongst the Stars Hollow gossips. They were going to have a field day when they saw him and Paris together. He knew there was talk about him trying to take Rory from Dean, and a lot of speculation on whether or not he'd succeed. This would throw a wrench into the workings of all possible theories, and Jess liked that. Keeping folks on their toes was always fun.

"I thought you were headed out," said Luke, looking surprised to find Jess still in the diner. "Don't you have that date tonight?"

"Yes, but it's kind of hard to go on the date without the other person," his nephew pointed out with a look. "Paris'll be here soon," he said, checking his watch. "The movie doesn't start for another half hour anyway."

Luke nodded that he understood, smirking as he turned away. Jess noticed but said nothing. For some reason, his dating seemed to amuse his uncle. Whatever. He supposed if Luke were dating that'd amuse him too, so it didn't really matter.

The bell over the door signalled the arrival of what could've been another customer but was in fact Paris. Jess hopped down off the stool he'd been perched on and got a bit of a surprise when he looked her over. She wasn't exactly dressed up, but then nobody would be for a movie and a diner-style meal, but she did look different. An effort had been made and Jess didn't object the view. From the way Paris was looking at him right now, he wondered if she was thinking the same, at least at first.

"What?" she snapped then. "Is there something wrong?" she checked, looking herself over.

Jess shook his head. He realised too late that Paris was clearly self-conscious about her looks. He wondered what else he would have to learn that she hadn't told him upfront. It was easy enough to talk about what books, movies, and music each of them liked, to find out what subjects they excelled at in school and which ones they hated. Things like this, personality traits, character flaws, that kind of thing, those they would have to learn as they went along. Might be interesting.

"You look good," he told her, meaning it in actual fact, but it sold the bit to be complimentary anyway.

"Thanks," she said stiffly. "Er, you too," she told him, still hovering by the door. "So, are we going?"

"We're going," Jess agreed, picking up his jacket. "See you later," he told Luke, raising a hand like goodbye.

"Have fun, you two," said his uncle, smiling way too much.

Paris smiled politely back and left with her date, feeling so strange. She really wasn't sure how to behave, and there really wasn't anyone to advise her. Her first port of call on this kind of thing would usually be Rory, but since this whole plan was engineered to play her in the first instance, and boost Paris' social status in the second, she really wasn't an option for advice and guidance. Paris was just going to have to play this by ear, and hope she didn't make a total fool out of herself.

Walking to the theatre, she looked sideways at Jess who was now wearing his jacket and had his hands pushed deep into the pockets.

"So," she said. "Um, your uncle bought that we're dating, right?"

"Why wouldn't he?" Jess shrugged.

"I don't know." Paris shook her head, genuinely not even sure why she had asked.

It was hard to know what to say. Jess made her so nervous suddenly, or maybe it was just the situation, she couldn't be sure.

"Look, if you wanna back out-"

"I don't," she cut in the second he suggested it. "I... I'm just not really the dating type usually," she explained.

"Huh."

The way she squirmed gave her away. Perhaps the one vital piece of information that she had withheld from Jess thus far was that she had never actually been on a date before. He would lay good money that's what she was telling him now, in so many words. He had wondered about that before, not least because she didn't seem much like the social type, but also from things Rory had said. She had come into the diner a couple of days ago, making pointed comments about his taking Paris out on a date, but he hadn't risen to the bait, not yet. He was biding his time on that score, but right now Paris' non-confession was the larger issue.

"You never dated before," he said, a statement not a question because he was just that sure about it. "Wow."

"What? What's the wow for? It's not so weird, y'know?" she told him, too loudly, startling another couple that passed by them to go into the Black-White-Read a few feet beyond them. "I've been very focused on my education, on my pursuit of Harvard. I don't have a lot of free time, and when I do, well, I've just never found a guy worthy of my time, okay?"

Jess waited to be sure she was done before he answered.

"Then I guess I should be flattered," he told her with an annoyingly sexy smirk. "C'mon, Paris. Stop over-thinking it. Relax for a while. Hey, I'll even spring for popcorn if you promise not to stress for the rest of the night."

She looked ready to yell at him for something for a couple of beats and then a smile broke through, just a little.

"It better be salted and have a lot of butter on it," she said, trying to sound threatening and failing miserably.

"Yes, ma'am." Jess nodded, moving to open the door to the theatre for her like a gentleman and making her smile wider.

From then on, Paris did manage to relax some. The movie wasn't bad, Jess wouldn't rave about it but after it was over and Paris decided to pick holes in every aspect of the plot, performance, et al, he found it highly amusing to play devil's advocate and get her to fight back. They bickered their way through a very large pizza plus dessert at Luigi's place, and before they knew it time had spun on to a pretty late hour.

"Wow. I hadn't noticed... I should get going," she said, glancing at her watch.

"I'll walk you back to your car," said Jess, getting up to leave. "Hold on a sec."

Paris watched as he went over to the counter and paid for the food. She had her own wallet in her hand when he got back, determined as she was to pay her half. Jess looked at her like she was crazy.

"What?"

"I need to know how much my half was."

"You really haven't been on a date before," Jess noted, pulling on his jacket. "Traditionally, the guy pays," he told her in a low voice as if imparting some great secret.

Paris rolled her eyes. "I asked you out if you remember."

"I remember." Jess smirked too much. "But his is how it's done, okay?"

Apparently he was taking no arguments and Paris was learning quickly how to handle the feeling of letting a fight go once in a while. Not that she hadn't enjoyed all the back-and-forth over the movie and such tonight. That had been almost too much fun.

Walking back out into the cold night air, they headed towards the diner where Paris had parked. Their timing couldn't have been better, something Paris quickly noticed when Jess' hand slid around hers very suddenly.

"Don't freak out," he whispered, feeling her tense up some.

They had planned this, or something like this. They discussed it last weekend when they cooked up this whole plan. If they were to stumble upon Rory and Lorelai after their date, they were to be the epitome of a new couple on a first date, young lovers for lack of a better term. The hand-holding was all a part of the deal, Paris supposed, though it did feel awfully strange.

"Hey," said Jess as he walked up to where Rory and Lorelai seemed to be debating going into Luke's, towing Paris behind him.

"Oh. Hi, Jess, and Paris too." Lorelai smiled. "You guys have fun tonight?"

Rory didn't look quite so happy to see them.

"It's been a great night," said Paris, wide grin firmly in place, an expression that really took no effort at all in the circumstances. "Couldn't've been better," she added, looking adoringly at Jess.

"Hey, don't say that," he warned her. "You're giving our second date licence to suck."

Somehow the words 'second date' sent a shiver through Paris that she hadn't been expecting. She would blame the cold, but it really wasn't that chilly tonight. Besides, when Jess pulled her closer and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, it only got harder not to shiver.

"Like any time spent with you is going to do that," she told him shakily. "I'm sorry, Rory, how was your night with Richard and Emily?" she asked her friend then, deliberately hanging off Jess like a real teenage girl in love.

Paris hoped she wasn't overdoing it, but Jess had gotten a hold of her first so she figured she was just following his lead. Besides, she had seen Louise and Madeline fall all over guys they met that same day. She had at least known Jess a little while, spent time with him that Rory was well aware of. They could be this close already. Paris was certainly okay with pretending they were for as long as it lasted.

Unfortunately, Jess' arm around her, the feel of his body very close to hers, his breath making her hair tickle against her neck, it was all very distracting for Paris. She really didn't hear a word of what Rory said about Friday Night Dinner. The next thing she knew her friend was saying how she and her mom should be getting home already, apparently surprising Lorelai a whole lot.

"Oh, so no to the pie and ice-cream then? Because I thought... And we're leaving," she said mostly to herself since Rory was already back in the car. "I guess we'll see you guys," she told Jess and Paris with a smile and brief wave as she left.

Only when the Jeep had disappeared around the corner did Jess let go of Paris. Immediately, she felt the loss of contact and body heat, and something else she couldn't give a name to. Paris chose not to think about it.

"Well, I think that went well," she said, shifting awkwardly in place.

"Pretty good." Jess nodded his agreement. "This plan of yours may actually work."

"Please! Like a plan of mine has ever failed." Paris rolled her eyes. "Anyway, I should go, but tonight was... fun," she settled on eventually. "Thank you, for dinner and the popcorn and everything."

"Thank you for this whole weird fake-relationship idea, and for not slapping me when I got a hold of you back there", he replied in kind. "You handled it pretty well for a girl who never dated before."

"Yeah, well. We had a plan, we stuck to it. Never let it be said that Paris Geller doesn't follow through on a deal."

"Perish the thought." Jess smirked.

Now it was time to part ways and Paris almost wished Rory were still there. At least then she might have had an excuse for a real ending to this date, a goodnight kiss of some kind of epic proportions. It was probably a little soon for that in the circumstances, perhaps it would be even if this had been a real date. Paris wasn't sure she knew.

"So, I'll call you?" Jess suggested.

"Yes, you will." Paris nodded, pausing a moment before turning towards her car.

Jess leaned back against the wall and watched her go, wondering at the weirdly good time he had tonight, and actually not just in the part where Rory looked more than a little green at the sight of him and another girl getting close. Paris was fun, more so than a person might expect her to be. If they had to keep this dating thing up for a few weeks, Jess was pretty sure he wasn't actually going to suffer.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Jess barely looked up when the diner door slammed. He figured it was Luke getting back from the town meeting that Jess himself had only avoided by offering to clean the coffee machine and refill all the condiments. He got a real surprise when he suddenly found Paris staring him down.

"You didn't call."

She was snapping at him before he even had a chance to ask what was up, and Jess didn't appreciate that.

"Hey there, Paris, how are you doing tonight?" he asked, as if she never said a word.

"You said you were going to call and then you didn't do it, she told him again, slower this time, as if maybe she thought he was deficient.

"You gonna make a point any time soon?" asked Jess, pausing mid-wipe of the counter to stare at her. "You do remember the part where I'm not really your boyfriend, right?"

For a moment he almost thought that remark stung her, even though they both knew it was perfectly true. It was just a split second when she looked weird and then right back to business. Jess decided he imagined it and moved on.

"I'm not the idiot in this situation," said Paris crossly, folding her arms over her chest. "Your calling me was to set up our next date, the next part of this plan in which you and I are supposed to be in a relationship. If I can't tell Rory how you called me or invited me to dinner or whatever, then I can't hold up my end of the agreement."

"You can't make it up as you're going along?" asked Jess, rolling his eyes as he got back to his work.

"Not if our stories are going to match up. This whole thing falls apart if we don't communicate."

Jess winced at that, glad that he had his back to Paris so she didn't see it. That sounded way too much like something a real girlfriend would say, but unfortunately, he knew she had a point. If they said differing things in front of Rory, she was smart enough to figure out something was going on. That was the last thing they needed when the start of this plan had gone so well.

"Things have been kinda weird here the last couple of days," Jess admitted, tidying away the ketchup bottles and salt shakers that had previously stood between them on the counter. "Luke's uncle died, so he's been stressing over funeral arrangements and stuff."

"Oh. My condolences," said Paris stiffly, clearly unsure how to behave when her fake boyfriend's great uncle had died.

Jess had to admit, he wasn't clear on the protocol either.

"Whatever," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "Far as I know I never met the guy. I'm not even sure Luke is sad about it so much as pissed that he's the only one around to deal with everything."

"Can't be easy for him," said Paris, nodding her head. "Well, now I'm here, I guess we could figure out our next move."

"Yeah, well, better think fast," Jess told her, looking beyond her out of the window. "Incoming."

Paris guessed what he meant and yet still felt the need to turn and see for sure. Rory and Lorelai were headed their way with Luke. It was lights, camera, action, and Paris had no script to go with this time. Thinking fast, just as Jess had advised, she grabbed his hand from the counter and held on tight, saying the first seemingly appropriate words that came to mind, just as the door opened.

"Are you sure you're okay? I mean, I never lost a family member like this, but it must be tough for you."

"Like I said, I didn't really know the guy," Jess replied, "but I appreciate the concern," he told her with a smile that made something shift inside of Paris.

She refused to wonder too much on why that was.

"Paris, hi," said Lorelai, complete with a little wave. "I guess you came over to check on our guys here in their time of need?" she said, patting Luke on the shoulder as he moved by her to the counter.

"Just offering any support that I can." Paris smiled. "What else can a girlfriend do? Hey, Rory," she greeted her friend then.

"Hey," she replied, making a point of not looking directly at Paris or Jess right now, and yet staring terribly when she finally realised they were holding hands. "Um, Luke, you really shouldn't go to any trouble when you're already so busy..."

Her butt was barely on the stool and yet she was already trying to get away. Lorelai's hand on her arm stopped her.

"Hey, not to be unfeeling here, but we earned the promised coffee and pie today, and I have a feeling we'll be earning it again tomorrow," she said definitely. "Besides, what kind of friends would we be to leave Luke and Jess alone when they're having such a rough time?"

Rory clearly didn't have an answer to that and stayed on her stool. Paris tried not to smile too triumphantly, instead focusing her attention on Jess. The look he gave her was encouraging and disappointing at the same time. He was proud of the move she made when they had company coming, and yet at the same time she knew he was only glad because they had made Rory jealous. Paris hadn't known conflicting feelings like this before. Maybe she was an idiot for ever starting this whole thing, but for now she was going to go with it. They made a deal, she had to stick to it. What kind of person would it make her to back out now?

"Well, as much as I want to be as supportive as possible, I really do have to go," she said regretfully. "Homework waits for no woman. You know how it is," she said pointedly to Rory.

"Yeah, sure. Lots of studying to do," her friend muttered in reply.

"Thanks for coming over" said Jess, gripping her hand tighter when Paris moved to pull it away.

Next thing she knew he was raising it to his lips and kissing her knuckles. The weird smile that came to Paris' face then was completely beyond her control, and certainly she couldn't speak after that. She just waited until she got her hand back and beat a hasty retreat.

Jess watched her go. He made a point of it actually, just staring until she was gone from his sight. It was oddly easy to do, because his mind was occupied by her behaviour tonight. She came over here all indignant that he hadn't called, like she was genuinely hurt or annoyed by that. Maybe it had bothered her, because of their plan. There couldn't be another reason, not really. Unless there was. Jess decided not to think about some potential crush Paris had on him. That might make this whole thing just a little too twisted.

"Jess?" Lorelai tried again when she didn't get a response the first time.

"What?" he asked, meeting her curious gaze.

"I was just saying, seems like things with you and Paris are going pretty good."

"Yeah. Pretty good," he told her, nodding his head. "I'm done here, Luke," he said to his uncle then, tapping his hand on the counter twice before heading for the curtain and disappearing from sight.

"Thanks, Jess!" Luke called behind him, unsure if he heard. "Y'know, I can't believe I'm saying this, but I actually think dating Paris might be good for him."

From behind the curtain, Jess smirked hard and waited to hear the response to that. Rory's snort was more amusing than it should've been, making his smirk turn into a real smile.

"I'm sorry," she said, presumably off some surprised look from her mother, Luke, or both. "I just can't see how this thing with Paris and Jess is going to work. She's so into school and studying, she's beyond straight-laced, and Jess is... well, he's smart, but he's not exactly the studious type."

"Opposites attract, babe," Lorelai told her easily. "I mean, look at you and Dean. No offence to the guy, he's great, but he's not Chilton material like you. He's all into his sports and everything, and you and I both know us Gilmore girls are completely unaware about all things football, hockey, basketball... pretty much anything that requires psychical activity."

There was a long pause before anyone spoke again. It was Rory, but she didn't have an answer to her mother's excellent point so she switched subjects to ask Luke more about Uncle Louie. Jess took that as his cue to creep on up the stairs before anyone noticed he was listening in.

Settling down with a book, he read for a while, keeping an eye on the time. After a half hour or so, he reached for the phone and dialled Paris' number.

"Now you call?" she said the moment she picked up.

"I'd've called sooner but I figured crashing your car on the highway wasn't a part of the plan," he told her smartly. "So, you did good tonight."

"I am aware," Paris told him. "If Gilmore got any greener I'd say she should host The Muppet Show."

Jess smiled at the joke, he couldn't help it.

"Yeah, well, we're going to have to up our game if she's going to buy that we're really falling for each other," he told her, keeping his voice low since he had no idea when Luke might walk in. "Apparently she doesn't understand why we even get along."

"I could say the same the same thing about her and Forester," said Paris, with an eye-roll Jess was certain he heard somehow. "At least you and I are of the same species. I swear if he didn't have that pretty boy thing going on, Dean would pass for Cro-Magnon. How she stands to hold a conversation with someone like that, I have no idea."

"Maybe that's our next move," said Jess thoughtfully. "How'd you feel about going on your first double date, Paris?"

The long silence that followed told Jess he had surprised her. That didn't bother him much, just so long as after some consideration she decided it was a good idea.

"It has potential," she conceded then. "I mean, a direct comparison between the intelligence of you and Forester is going to show you off to greatest effect. You really think they'd go for it?"

"Are you kidding me?" Jess laughed then. "Forester was almost doing back-flips when he heard I was dating you. He's thrilled to think he has no competition for Rory anymore."

"He should realise that if he has to try this hard to keep her, then she can't really love him like he believes. Dumbass."

Jess continued to plot out the next date, the one that was planned as a double, but Paris was only hearing every other sentence. She was such a fraud. Here she was calling Dean a dumbass for trying so hard to keep Rory when her interest was clearly piqued by Jess. Paris was doing something similar, trying to find a way to get close to Jess for just as long as she could before he ended up with his intended. She was a fool, and she knew it. Yet when Jess asked if they were on for the double date she dumbly agreed, even going so far as to suggest that she be the one to pitch the idea to Rory in school tomorrow.

When the call was over, Paris let her head drop onto her desk with a thud.

"You're an idiot, Gellar," she told herself crossly. "But hey, at least you're an idiot who's going on another date with Jess Mariano."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Paris gave it a few days before she threw the double date idea at Rory. As much as the phrase 'strike while the iron's hot' seemed to apply to most situations she encountered, it seemed better in this one instance to play the long game. Jess had been kind of tied up the diner the last few days, too busy to make arrangements until everything was squared away with Luke's uncle's funeral and everything. He and Paris spoke a couple of times, faked another meet up a couple of days ago and decided now was a good time to push forward with the double date. When she and Rory got out of economics class, Paris made sure she stuck close and brought the conversation around in her usual blunt manner.

"I can't believe that idiot Brad is back. The guys in this school are all pathetic. Is it any wonder we're both dating outside of the Chilton scene? You know we should really consider all going out together sometime."

"What?!" Rory's face was a real picture as she stopped walking very suddenly and stared wide-eyed at Paris. "I mean, why? Um, what 'all of us'?"

"I was just thinking that maybe you and Dean would want to come along with me and Jess one night for dinner or something," she said, shrugging her shoulders. "In fact, I suggested it the other day to Jess, and he thought it was a good idea."

"He did?" asked Rory, still seemingly in shock. "Um, well... I don't know, Paris."

"What? We're not good enough for you and the great and wonderful Dean now? Charming, Gilmore. Just great."

Paris wasn't as pissed as she pretended to be but it was an easy sell. She turned as if to storm away and tried to keep her triumphant smirk in check when Rory hurried after her and grabbed her arm.

"It's not like that, Paris," she insisted, walking with her friend. "It's just that Jess and Dean haven't always exactly seen eye to eye. You know that."

"Sure." Paris nodded. "But that was when Dean thought Jess had an interest in you. Now it must be plain even to a guy like him that's not the case anymore. Jess is with me now, problem solved."

She said it with so much confidence. With evidence that Rory had seen with her own eyes to back up the claim, it was no surprise that she was convincing. Paris knew that, and yet her heart was hammering in her chest as she lied her ass off. Jess wasn't with her, not for real, just for show. That thought hurt way more than it should, but she held it together. Showing the world a smile when all you wanted to do was cry, Paris was well-practiced in that department, way more than anyone ever would have suspected.

"In that case, I guess we could arrange something," said Rory then, looking awkward about it even now, but then Paris had expected that. "Maybe in a few days when we're done with the economics project? Because I think this is going to eat up a lot of time."

"Granted, our education still has to come first, no matter how enticing our boyfriends are." Paris nodded.

"Boyfriends?" Rory echoed then. "Um, oh. I didn't... I mean, I knew you guys were dating, obviously, but I didn't realise Jess was... That you guys were official."

"Well, it's not Happy Days, he didn't give me his pin or whatever." Paris rolled her eyes. "But we're fairly committed to what we have going here. There's really no reason for us not to be, is there?"

Those kind of questions were usually rhetorical, and yet Rory seemed to be struggling to find an answer to it. Paris was looking for her to say something in response too, and wasn't sure she liked the one she got.

"No. No reason, I guess," she said with a smile.

Paris wished she felt more comfortable with that answer, but she didn't, not at all. She was feeling no better about it hours later when she got home and called Jess to talk about what happened in school today. What bothered her more than Rory's thoughts on Jess being her boyfriend, was how the man himself was going to react to that particular title.

Paris should've thought before she used the word 'boyfriend' but it just came spilling out of her mouth unchecked. It was so unlike her to speak in such an unfiltered way at such an important moment. People accused her of having a mouth that wasn't connected to her brain but they understood nothing. Pars knew exactly what she was saying, she just didn't particularly care if you liked the words or not. Still, she really had not meant to call Jess her boyfriend so casually like that. He probably wasn't going to like it.

It was Luke that picked up when Paris called. It seemed both guys were working right now and so the call had diverted from their apartment to the diner itself.

"If he's busy I can call back," she said politely.

"No, it's fine," Luke told her kindly. "He's due his break anyway. Jess? Phone! It's Paris," she heard him say and then there he was on the line.

"Hey, what's up?"

"A number of things, potentially," said Paris honestly. "Can you speak freely?"

"Depends," he replied cryptically.

"Okay, well, I talked to Rory about the double date idea. She took a little convincing but she said yes. We're going to choose a night next week after this whole economics project at school is over. We'll both be too busy before then."

"Works for me," Jess agreed. "Weird, she didn't mention it at all."

"She? Rory's in the diner? Now?"

"Right in front of me." Jess sighed in her ear. "Complete with the boyfriend attachment," he muttered.

Paris bit her lip. He just used the very word she needed to address. Reminding herself to woman up already, she pressed forward.

"Speaking of that particular title, it seems I may have coined the phrase myself when I referred to you in front of Rory. It was unintentional, but she picked up on it, made kind of a big deal."

"Huh,"

Jess' non-reaction wasn't quite what Paris expected, though perhaps she should have. He seemed to have an opinion on everything and had no fear of telling her what it was. At the same time, he did like to do the mysterious thing sometimes, keep his thoughts to himself and hide behind that sexy smirk that Paris was pretty sure was dangerous. She could imagine him wearing it now and it sent a shiver through her that she refused to acknowledge.

On the other end of the line, Jess was leaned back against the wall, as far out of Luke's way as he could manage, watching Rory and Dean together. He kind of liked knowing the idea of his being somebody else's boyfriend freaked her out. Not that it should really bother her at all. She had her own boyfriend, so it should mean nothing to her if he was with Paris. It was only then when she spoke again that he remembered he had her on the other end of the phone still.

"You're okay with what I said, right?" she checked. "I mean, I don't really know why I said it exactly. It's just, we're supposed to be dating, and if you go out with someone more than once, I kind of figured that made you boyfriend and girlfriend, but quite honestly, I'm not up on the protocol. It's not exactly something they put on the SAT exam."

"It's fine," Jess assured her, smiling a little at her rambling that never failed to amuse. "I can be your boyfriend, no big deal."

He couldn't know what those words did to Paris, but Jess was acutely aware of what they did to him when he said them. He never told a girl he was okay with being her boyfriend before. He wouldn't be saying it now if the whole thing wasn't a con. At least, he figured he wouldn't. If this whole thing worked out, then he would be with Rory. He would be her boyfriend, because that was what he wanted, wasn't it? To take Dean's place? Somehow that didn't seem right when he thought about it that literally.

"Anyway, I should go. Studying to do, work that waits for no woman," said Paris in his ear.

"Okay. I'll talk to you soon," he said with a smile as Rory and Dean came over to the counter together. "Have a good night, sweetheart."

He hung up before Paris had a chance to answer, pushing off the wall and going over to the register. Rory looked shifty. Dean didn't look much better.

"You guys ready to pay?" he checked, sure they wouldn't be stood there if they weren't, but somebody had to say something.

"Er, yeah." Rory nodded, reaching for her wallet when Dean didn't. "That was Paris?" she checked, gesturing towards the phone.

"Yup," Jess agreed, smiling too much. "Y'know she said she pitched that double date idea to you. Some day next week, right?"

"What double date?" asked Dean, glowering the way he usually did when Jess was involved in anything.

Jess chose not to notice.

"C'mon, man, you don't think it's time we got over this whole thing?" he suggested. "Rory's with you, I'm with Paris. You don't think this situation would be easier if we just got along?"

It was tough not to look like a smart ass when he said it. Dean was convinced that something was going on with him and Rory, Jess knew that, but the fact of the matter was, the big idiot was so wrong. So far they had done nothing but be friends, and now as far as he and the world at large knew, Jess was dating Paris. Since there was no way he was smart enough to figure out he was being played, Dean could have no possible reason to say no to this double date idea, and they all knew it.

"You agreed to this?" he checked with Rory.

"Well, no," she said, shifting uncomfortably, "or yes. I don't know, you know how Paris is when she has an idea. She will not be denied."

"Yeah, she can be pretty ruthless that way," said Jess with almost too much glee - he tried to rein it in when he realised.

"I said we could maybe arrange something for next week, when school isn't so crazy," Rory told Dean then. "I mean, why not? There's no real reason not to hang out with friends, is there?" she checked.

Rory looked at Dean. Dean looked at Jess. Finally, Dean looked at Rory and forced a smile.

"No, of course not," he said at last.

They all knew he wasn't really happy about this, but he would do anything for Rory. If she wanted to hang out with her friends and he made a big deal, well, he already did that once, launching accusations that had by now been proven false. Jess and Rory weren't cheating behind his back. Jess was dating Paris now, plus Dean himself was being invited to join in on the fun. There was really no excuse he could make to not go on this double date, except that he had a dislike of Jess that was based on nothing.

"So, you girls figure out what night is best for you, let us know," said Jess, looking to Rory. "Everybody's happy."

"Yup. Ecstatic," she told him with a smile.

Jess nodded once and turned away. He wasn't buying all the joy coming off the other couple, but that was fine. In fact, it was kind of the point. He waited for them to leave the diner and then redialled Paris' number on the phone.

"You're good, Gellar," he said without preamble.

"That's a given, but why today in particular?" she asked, not missing a beat.

"I was just talking to Rory and her lap dog about next week. It's gonna happen, in spite of the fact that neither of them think it's a good idea, they just don't have any reasonable excuse for saying no."

"That was the plan," said Paris, not feeling much of the joy and triumph that she could hear in Jess' voice. "I was studying," she reminded him then.

He ended the call within a second and Paris tried not to be disappointed that he had. A real boyfriend would probably have tried harder to keep her on the line, suggesting ways to distract her from her academic goals. Paris could do without that anyway, but it might've been nice if he tried.

"Get a grip," she told herself, tossing the phone away a little too hard.

Sure, they were doing well with their plans at breaking up Rory and Dean, getting Jess the girl, making everybody happy, but Paris was fast realising she really hadn't thought this through at all. Her half-way crush on Jess that she put down to hormones and stupidity was only strengthening the more time they spent together. Somehow she had a feeling that if this whole thing worked out the way it should, it wasn't Dean who was going to suffer the most, it was her.

"You're a fool, Paris" she told herself. "But it's a little too late for regrets at this stage."

Paris had made a deal with Jess. It would be wrong to go back on it now. Besides, this whole thing had been a ruse to ensure Rory's happiness in the end. If Paris cared for Jess at all, she should want him to be happy too. It might just be nice if helping them find their fairy-tale ending didn't mess things up so royally for herself.

"Unless he suddenly decides he likes you better," she said to herself, glancing into the mirror on the nightstand.

Paris let out a burst of humourless laughter.

"Yeah, right."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"So, we're choosing an outfit for a date," said Lane thoughtfully, "with your boyfriend, your Chilton friend/enemy, and... what are we calling Jess now?"

"He's a friend... ish," said Rory awkwardly, holding a dress up in front of her and looking into the mirror with a frown.

"More of a friend than Paris?" asked Lane.

Rory frowned harder, discarded the dress and picked up a top and skirt.

"I don't know," she said, though it wasn't clear if she meant the outfit or the question her friend just asked.

Honestly, she didn't have an answer to either. Rory had no idea how to dress for this double date. More than that, she had no clue how to behave when she got there. This was such a weird situation. For the longest time she thought that Jess had feelings for her. She denied it, but it had sort of become undeniable the past few weeks, especially since the Bid-A-Basket auction. That weekend when he came over with the care package and stayed for dinner, she really thought he was hoping something would happen. If she were completely honest with herself, she had started to wonder if maybe she wanted something to happen herself, even though she was with Dean and loved him so much. Guys and girls could just be friends, it wasn't impossible. It was just that she and Jess had so much in common, she liked spending time with him. Rory had been wary of what that meant for a while, worrying that she was encouraging Jess to like her more, to want her in a way that only Dean should be allowed to want her. Now things were different, and as much as she should be okay with that, Rory wasn't so sure that she was.

"When Paris said she liked Jess, I thought she was just... I thought she was doing me a favour," she said then, dumping the clothes on her bed next to Lane and sinking down into the desk chair. "It seemed like an excuse, a cover."

"A cover for what?" Lane shrugged. "I mean, you don't like Jess that way, do you?"

"Of course not," Rory said quickly. "He's a nice guy and we do have a lot in common. I like hanging out with him, but in a friend-ish kind of way, that's all. I'm with Dean. I love Dean."

"I know," agreed Lane, nodding her head. "Everybody knows you love Dean, and I know you would never cheat on him, but you do know you're allowed to like Jess too. I don't exactly have dating experience to refer to, but sometimes people break up with one person to date another person-"

"I'm not breaking up with Dean!"

Rory realised the moment she got done saying it that she shouldn't have been so snappy. Lane didn't mean any harm, she wasn't accusing her of anything. Dean had accused her, but the more Rory thought on it, the more she could see why. Maybe her behaviour hadn't been the best lately. Maybe it was herself she was most mad at.

"I'm sorry," she told Lane then. "I am, I just... I don't know, maybe I'm a horrible person, but I thought Jess liked me, and I kind of liked that he liked me."

"Rory, there's nothing wrong with wanting to be liked," her friend sympathised. "You don't think I would love to realise that some good looking interesting guy liked me?"

"That's different, you don't have a boyfriend."

"C'mon. Even I know it's not illegal to be flattered by another guy just because you're committed to the one you're with."

Rory considered that and nodded her head. She knew Lane was right. Liking the attention from Jess didn't make her a bad person. Encouraging it was probably wrong, and being jealous of his relationship with Paris was petty and ridiculous. It made her a bad friend, and Rory didn't want that. She was happy with Dean, she should be just as pleased that Paris and Jess were making each other happy, even if they were a seriously odd pairing. As her mom had said just the other day, maybe some people wouldn't think that she and Dean would work as a couple, because they didn't have quite so much in common. Opposites did attract, she supposed, and it wasn't as if she and Dean, or indeed Jess and Paris, had nothing to talk about.

"I'm being stupid, aren't I?"

"Never," Lane promised her. "You're just maybe being a little over-sensitive and a tiny bit jealous" she said carefully. "You're a human person, Rory, I'm pretty sure you're allowed to have feelings."

Rory laughed at how dumb she was being, and at the way Lane had phrased herself too. She really was being silly about this whole situation and she knew it.

"I'd still rather be going on a date alone with Dean," she considered, getting back up and looking into her closet one more time, "or doubling with you and somebody."

"Yeah, look how well that turned out the last time." Lane rolled her eyes.

They mostly talked about the clothes Rory was going to wear after that, and whether or not she should wear her hair up or down. Before long it was time for Dean to arrive, which he did, right on time. Lane left out the back as Rory went to the front to meet her boyfriend.

"Wow, you look great," he said at the sight of her. "Should I have dressed up too?" he checked, looking down at his own clothes.

"I'm not exactly dressed up." Rory shook her head. "And you look fine. Better than that, you look good," she promised, reaching up to kiss him.

"Yeah, well, I'm not sure how good this night is going to be," he confessed with a sigh. "Paris and Jess as a couple still seems weird to me."

"Me too," Rory agreed as they left the house and started walking over to the diner, "but they really seem to get along. I guess they have stuff in common, and actually, they seem really happy to argue about what they don't have in common."

"I guess," Dean agreed, though he wasn't entirely convinced.

He ought to just be releived that Jess wasn't making a play for his girlfriend, Dean knew that, but he just couldn't like that guy!

Jess was outside of the diner when they got there, leaning on the wall and smoking a cigarette. Dean made a face, maybe just at the sight of a guy he didn't like, maybe because he frowned on the habit. Jess didn't care which it was, just smiled too much and blew a plume of smoke into the night.

"Hey," he greeted them. "Aren't you two just the cutest couple in town?"

"Thank you," said Rory politely, though she wondered if he meant to be sarcastic. "No Paris?"

"She'll be here" Jess shrugged. "Crisis at home, something about a Franklin article that she had to rewrite. All I know is we're supposed to blame Madeline."

"That makes sense." Rory rolled her eyes and smiled. "She uses the Prince way of writing. The letter U for you, a picture of an eye for I."

"Wow. I'll bet those Pulitzer candidates are quaking in their boots," Jess joked.

"The team at The New York Times is terrified," Rory replied, finding it all as amusing as he did.

Neither noticed Dean being his usual glowery self. He really didn't want to feel jealous when these two talked about things he didn't understand, but it wasn't easy. His hand tightened around Rory's own until she squeaked.

"Hey, I need my fingers intact please," she told Dean, looking up at him.

"Sorry," he apologised, loosening his grip, lifting her hand up to kiss it better.

Rory smiled and blushed profusely. Jess looked the other way, tossing his spent cigarette to the ground and crushing it under foot, just as Paris walked up.

"The gang's all here, I see," she said as she appeared from the shadows. "I know this was my idea, but suddenly I feel like a character from Archie comics."

Paris tried not to react when she realised Jess was staring at her pretty hard. Needless to say she had made an effort with her appearance tonight and didn't mind at all if he was noticing that. Rory said something and his eyes still didn't shift from her. Paris reminded herself to breathe and tried to look more annoyed than nervous.

"What?" she snapped at Jess.

"I was just trying to figure out if you're Betty or Veronica," he told her with a look that made her forget what day of the week it was.

"Please!" she said, rolling her eyes. "Miss Goody Two Shoes over here would have to be Betty. Right, Rory?"

"Well, we all know who Jughead is," Jess muttered, pushing off the wall. He stepped up closer to Paris and threw an arm around her shoulders. "Let's eat."

Rory and Dean fell into step behind them as they walked down to Al's for dinner, and each couple kept to themselves until they got there. Conversation started out general amongst the four at first. School tales, the latest TV, that kind of thing. Of course, it didn't take long to get into books, and then for three of the assembled group, it was hard to stop.

Quite honestly, Jess and Paris both knew Dean would be lost before long, and yet they didn't cut him out of conversation on purpose, it just happened sort of naturally. He was fine with the most well-known titles, and he had some big opinions on Hunter Thompson, but when they got deeper into subtext or post-modern literature and authors that were less mainstream, the jock lost his way. Rory didn't seem to notice, and that was probably what hurt him the most. Paris almost felt bad for him, but only almost.

Rory got up to excuse herself to the bathroom then.

"I'll come with you," said Paris, making to follow.

The girls were the only two in the bathroom and when they exited the stalls and met at the sinks, there was no way not to have a conversation. Paris was only surprised when Rory started it.

"I like your hair like that," she said to her friend with what seemed to be a genuine smile. "It's nice."

"Thanks," she said, hand going to the experimental curls with unease. "I wasn't so sure it worked, but that's two positive votes so far tonight," she said with a smile, recalling how Jess had told her he liked it to on the way over to the restaurant. "I know it's putting feminism back a century, primping for a guy, but I figure anybody, male or female, should want to look their best for a date, right?"

"Right. Nothing wrong with making an effort for the person you're dating," Rory agreed. "It certainly seemed to be going well, with you and Jess, I mean."

"Y'know it really is," Paris agreed, checking herself in the mirror before she moved to dry off her hands. "That day at your house when we all had dinner and then I told Dean that I had a crush, I have to admit, I was exaggerating a little to help you out, but now? I don't know, we just get along really well."

Paris didn't have to lie to get a reaction. When she said these things, she meant them. Still, she wondered how Rory would react. She was supposed to be jealous, that was the entire plan. When they looked at each other then, all Paris saw was a genuine smile.

"That's great, Paris," she told her easily. "You deserve this. Jess is a really nice guy, and I think you two are good for each other. I really do."

"Thanks." Paris smiled back at her friend, though inside she was feeling conflicted.

The truth was, she was thrilled to think that Rory might actually support her relationship with Jess, and not want to take him for herself. On the other hand, if Jess found out their plan was failing, that Rory was not becoming the green-eyed monster of jealousy and planning to dump Dean just to win Jess over, then this whole thing was blown to hell. No more fake dating, and Paris could hardly dare to dream that Jess would want to date her for real.

"You okay?" asked Rory from the door, watching Paris still drying her hands in spite of the fact she had already sapped every molecule of moisture from her skin two minutes before.

"I'm fine," she said snippily, moving suddenly to follow Rory back to the table.

They had missed the conversation that had taken place between the guys, which was deliberate on Dean's part. In front of the girls he played nice, but had been on edge all evening, just waiting for Jess to be a smart ass or flirty with Rory. To be fair to him, it hadn't happened.

"I'm not saying I like you or anything, that's not going to happen," he said, albeit fairly reluctantly, "but I am sorry I accused you and Rory of... of being more than friends. I know that's not what was going on now."

Jess was amazed by what he was hearing, but tried not to show it too much. Eventually, he nodded his head but chose not to say a word. Anything he dared to let out of his mouth was doubtless going to be sarcastic or snarky, which really wasn't what this situation needed. If Forester thought he was safe from losing his girlfriend to Jess, that might actually make life easier. Better to keep his mouth shut for a change, or so Jess thought.

"You and Paris, that really seems to work," said Dean then, smiling like he meant it. "She's... less scary when she's with you. Nice even."

It was strange how Jess felt like he wanted to argue with that, stranger still that he couldn't find the words to do so. He remembered hearing from Rory that Paris was over-the-top sometimes, positively frightening when she got going, but in front of Jess she really hadn't been in any way scary. The over-the-top thing seemed pretty standard, but he actually kind of liked that about her. She had passion. She had moxy, as they used to say in the old movies. Nobody gave Paris Geller any crap and Jess liked that in a woman. It was the one thing he wished was more true about Rory. When she spoke her mind she was magnificent, but too often she shied away from that, especially in front of Forester.

The girls returned then and conversation went back to the food they had eaten, then movies, school, all the usual things. Jess let the conversation roll by without him for the most part, his mind was elsewhere. He was mostly watching Rory and then Paris, making comparisons that he probably shouldn't make. Before he knew it there was talk of it getting late and how everybody should head home.

The four of them left the restaurant and walked back towards the diner, this time with the girls walking side by side, working out details of a Franklin thing. Jess walked a step ahead and Dean a step behind until they reached Paris' car.

"Well, this was fun," she said smiling, deliberately leaning into Jess' personal space.

His arm went around her waist like the most natural thing in the world, and it was clear that Rory noticed. Paris tried not to think about it.

"It was," Rory agreed. "Really fun. Maybe we could do it again sometime?"

"Maybe," Jess nodded. "What do you say, Forester?"

"I'm easy" Dean shrugged.

Both Jess and Paris bit their lips, thinking of the same unwelcome response to that and not speaking it. Rory must've realised because she steered her boyfriend away from the scene very quickly. They walked away with their arms around each other. Before they got far, Dean stopped, pulling Rory closer and kissing her long and hard on the lips.

Paris turned her back on the scene and faced Jess.

"Good thing they only have eyes for each other," she noted. "If they looked over this way they might wonder why we're not doing the same thing"

The words came out much shakier than she intended. The idea of Jess kissing her gave her feelings she didn't know how to control, despite days of trying to train herself not to react. If he noticed she was struggling, he never said anything. Quite honestly, he was so close right now, his features were a little out of focus, so Paris wasn't sure if she would know if he was looking at her like a freak anyway.

"Yeah, that's a good thing," he said eventually. "Could be awkward."

"Very awkward," Paris agreed, swallowing hard.

Jess wasn't sure what was possessing him right now, but he actually gave serious consideration to kissing Paris. It was probably a normal reaction given what she just said. If Rory looked back she would be expecting to see a kiss. It would be pretty standard after the date they just shared, it'd just be for show. The problem was, Jess wasn't sure if Paris would be okay with it, and even if she was, he would be kind of a heel if he made her first kiss something so cheap. Not that he knew for sure it would be Paris' first kiss, but she had never really dated before, so the odds were good.

"I should go," she said suddenly, moving around him to get into her car.

"Yeah, probably," muttered Jess, knowing she probably couldn't hear him anyway.

Seconds later she was driving away, and Jess was raising one hand in a wave. He shook his head, wondering what the hell just happened, and moreover why he was ending this evening with the strangest feeling of disappointment.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"You went out on a double date with Gilmore and her giant boyfriend?" asked Louise, gasping in shock. "I'm sorry, how long have you known us?" she said of herself and Madeline.

"Yeah. I mean, if anybody should get to see what Paris Geller on a date is like, it's us," said Madeline definitely. "Besides, I want to meet this Jess. He sounds hot."

"And all kinds of interesting if he wants to date Paris," added Louise in a muttered tone that Paris herself didn't hear.

"Sorry, girls, but I really don't think Jess would enjoy your company," she said smartly.

Louise scoffed at that.

"But he enjoys yours?"

"So far." Paris nodded. "You do realise that we actually talk to each other. Conversation?" she tried. "It's the other, more respectable thing you can do with your mouth on a date."

Louise was about to argue but changed her mind fast. Paris had a point and they all knew it. Neither of her friends were exactly much for talking on dates. To their mind, it wasn't what boys were for. The problem Paris had was that there were times when she would be okay with not talking so much on her dates with Jess. If he wanted to kiss her, she wouldn't object at all, and yet the only way that was likely to happen was if Rory was watching and Jess wanted to really bring on a bout of jealousy.

Remembering the conversation in the halls the other day no longer made Paris smile but frown instead. She stared at the phone on her nightstand, contemplating her next move. Jess hadn't called her since the double date last week. To be fair, she hadn't called him either. It would be a shame to lose momentum on their excellent plan to make Rory jealous. The problem was that she really didn't seem very green lately. Paris had made a point of talking up Jess any chance she got, and Rory almost seemed genuine in her smiles, telling Paris she was glad they were both so happy.

It twisted something inside of Paris to realise the con wasn't quite working, or at least didn't seem to be anymore. It ought to be a disaster and it could mean that Paris and Jess wouldn't be spending much time together anymore when he realised the plan wasn't worth his time. On the other hand, with Rory out of the way, there was a chance, however slim, that just maybe Paris would stand a chance with Jess herself.

Paris literally face-palmed at that thought. No, a guy like Jess would never want to date her for real. She wasn't the kind of girl that guys wanted. She wasn't pretty enough, and she was too smart and opinionated for most people, be they male or female. She lacked social skills, she was aware of that, coming off as abrasive even when she didn't really mean to. Not that it seemed to put Jess off. He called her on it when he thought she was going over the top, but for the most part seemed to find her interesting and amusing, even when they were alone. That couldn't be acting, there would be no need for it. He had to like her, at least as a friend. That wasn't nothing, but it wasn't what Paris wanted either.

She was still staring at her phone when it suddenly started to ring. Frowning harder, she picked it up to see who was calling.

"Jess?" she said when she recognised the number as the diner's own.

"Er, hey, Paris," said a voice that was not at all her fake boyfriend. "This is Luke."

"Oh. Hi."

"Hi. I hope you don't think this is weird, me calling you all out of the blue."

"Is Jess okay?" she asked, worrying her lip.

The only reason she could think of for her (fake) boyfriend's uncle to be calling her up like this was to tell her something awful had happened. She was amazed by how truly and completely relieved she felt when he assured her Jess was okay.

"He's fine, or at least... Well, he's not sick or in a hospital or anything," he confirmed awkwardly. "The truth is, well, he's having some problems with school. The principal called me up and... Jess is flunking out."

"That's ridiculous!" Paris snapped without thinking, moderating her tone a little when she remembered who she was talking to. "Jess is one of the smartest people I ever met. He should be sailing through Junior year at that two-bit hack school."

"I agree," Luke told her. "Not that Stars Hollow High is a bad school... but I guess when compared to Chilton, it's pretty average. Anyway, the fact is, if Jess doesn't start passing some classes, the Principal is talking about keeping him back a year, and I really, really don't want that to happen to him. I can't get him to focus or study at all, and I was thinking that you and he are... Well, you're close now, and you're so very, very focused on your studies, maybe you could, I don't know, tutor Jess?"

Paris opened her mouth to tell Luke he was being insane, but stopped herself just in time. It wasn't that she realised that was a bad thing to say to an adult, to the guardian of a guy she was pretending to date. Paris cared little or nothing about causing offence, only about speaking the truth as she saw it, nothing more, nothing less. What stopped her in her tracks was an idea forming in her mind. Jess didn't need a tutor, they all knew that, but if Luke wanted him to go through the charade of pretending, why not go with it? It might just work to her advantage.

"I have a lot of my own studying to do," she said eventually, "but of course I want to help Jess out if I can. If he wanted to come over tonight, to study, that'd be okay."

"He's covering for me tonight, actually," said Luke awkwardly, "but how about tomorrow night?"

In the background Paris could hear someone else saying something, and then Luke continued.

"Lorelai was saying she and Rory could drop Jess at your place on the way to their Friday Night Dinner, if that'd work for you?"

"Sure, yeah," Paris agreed. "If that works for Jess."

"It will," Luke told he definitely. "Thank you, Paris."

"No problem."

Hanging up the phone, Luke let out the longest of breaths.

"What have I done?" he asked Lorelai.

"You're doing your best to help that nephew of yours become a decent member of society," she told him. "And believe me, I think it's going to be an uphill battle."

"I can't believe I just voluntarily called Paris Geller." Luke shuddered then. "Still, she said she'd help. She and Jess get along so well. I gotta think if he's going take direction from anyone it's going to be her."

"I'd say so." Lorelai nodded. "Besides, with Paris at least you don't have to worry that anything other than studying is going to happen," she considered. "Personally, I'm still operating on the theory that she's at least seventy percent robot, and even if she is a real live human girl, she'd have to relax for more than thirty seconds for anything real romantic to happen. Paris has no off switch for her intense."

"Well, Jess seems to like her, and she seems to like him." Luke shrugged. "I don't hate that his dating her puts him in a good mood, or that she's the type that can put him on the straight and narrow with regard to school."

Lorelai nodded her agreement, internally letting out a sigh of relief that it was Paris that had all of Jess' attention now. For a while there, she had almost thought it was a ruse, a way to make Rory jealous and get her attention off Dean. It was a good feeling now that she realised maybe Jess and Paris were for real, that even if they weren't, it wasn't having much effect on her own baby girl. She and Dean were as close as ever, genuinely in love, and it was beautiful to see.

* * *

Jess was not at all amused when he heard from Luke that he was going to be spending his Friday night being tutored for school. He didn't need help with the work that stupid place set for him, he just didn't want to do it. Jess could run academic rings around the other kids at SHS and it bored him, which was why he wasn't usually to be found completing his assignments. It wasn't that he couldn't, only that he wouldn't.

Of course, just when he was about to start yelling and fighting back on the whole tutoring thing, he found out the details of Friday night's plans. An evening spent in the company of Paris over at her place was no bad thing, as far as he could tell. It might be fun to see how the other half live, plus he enjoyed her company well enough. He also doubted that she would genuinely try to tutor him, and if worst came to worst and she tried, he could get out of it. Start her off on some controversial literary topic and he could have her going for hours. Of course, that particular train of thought led Jess to some places he hadn't excepted his mind to wander into when thinking of Paris.

Most guys would love to be told they had to spend the evening alone with their girlfriend. Luke ought to be branded a fool for suggesting forcing two teens who liked each other to be alone in an empty house like that, even if they were supposed to be studying the whole time. Of course, he was under the delusion that Paris just wasn't that kind of girl.

Jess had to wonder if that was really true. Paris said she never dated before, which probably meant she had never been kissed or anything either. That wasn't necessarily her choice, of course. He doubted guys were lining up around the block to ask her out, not because she wasn't good looking or even lacked a decent personality. The problem was that Paris was always on the defensive, and so damn obsessed with landing valedictorian and getting into Harvard, most guys were way too intimidated to get close to her. Jess got to see a side of her that most people probably didn't that night at the Gilmore place when the two of them stayed to dinner with Rory. Jess liked what he saw in Paris, maybe more than he should in the circumstances. Not that she needed to know that, nobody did.

"I guess you're kinda bummed about spending your Friday night studying, huh?" said Lorelai, making small-talk on the drive over.

"Not really." Jess shook his head. "I get to spend the time with Paris. That doesn't suck."

Lorelai and Rory shared a look but said nothing more. Jess tried to hide his smirk behind his hand, glad that they arrived at the Geller house within a minute. This was almost too easy. He raised his hand in a wave as Lorelai's Jeep disappeared from view then wandered up to the front door and rang the bell.

Paris answered, which was kind of a surprise, not least because Jess expected these kind of places to have a maid or a butler, possibly both. The other surprise was that Paris was dressed up like this was a date, make up on and an outfit he hadn't seen before but liked now that he did. Jess wasn't sure what to make of that and said as much as she led him inside.

"So, we're not really going to study, right?" he said hopefully. "You want to go out somewhere?"

"You came here to learn, Mariano," she reminded him with a smile. "Your uncle wouldn't exactly appreciate it if I sent you home as dumb as you arrived."

"I think we both know good old Uncle Luke is deluded if he thinks I'm flunking out thanks to a lack of brain function," he countered, following her through to one of what he suspected was many living rooms, dumping his book bag onto the couch.

"It's not exactly smart to flunk out at all," Paris told him, rolling her eyes as she watched Jess throw himself into the cushions of the seat beside his bag. "So, why do it?"

"Why not?" he said, shrugging his shoulders. "I mean, it's just high school. I know you and Rory and a bunch of others are all obsessed with college and career paths, but that's not me."

Paris stood in the middle of the room, hands on her hips, eyes practically boring a hole through Jess' face. She was thinking, too hard as far as he was concerned.

"I don't understand you," she said eventually. "You have all the brains of a genius. You're not lacking in vocabulary or opinions, you read incessantly, and you're not afraid to do just exactly what you want regardless of what anybody else thinks," she listed easily. "Why wouldn't you use your God given talents and gifts to do something worthwhile? Why throw it all away?"

At that, Jess laughed.

"Geez, Geller, you have got to lighten up!" he told him, arms along the back of the couch, head flung back as he laughed at her. "Paris, you're seventeen. Stop acting like you wanna be forty five. Life's too short to be that serious, especially at our age."

Paris meant to argue with him. She really did. She meant to continue telling him what an idiot he was to waste his education, to throw away his life for no good reason. She was supposed to do that, but she didn't. Jess intrigued her, and attracted her more than he should, truth be known. Here he was offering to teach her something about life that she was never going to get to experience any other way. So much for tutoring him in subjects she was sure he already well understood. What a waste of time that would be when she could get her own education in his hands. A blush rose in Paris' cheeks when she considered more than one interpretation of those words!

"Okay," she said eventually, arms folding across her chest as she fought to find a way to be comfortable under his intense gaze. "Since we both know that my tutoring you in English or Math is a complete waste of these short lives we may potentially have, then give me an alternative plan," she challenged him. "How exactly are we going to spend this evening that is not a total waste of time?"

There was a look on Jess' face that Paris thought she must be misinterpreting. He couldn't be about to suggest what she almost, almost hoped he was going to suggest. She didn't mean to flinch when he suddenly got up from the couch and moved towards her, or feel so disappointed when he walked right by her and opened up the drinks cabinet. The real surprise came when he poured out two shots of whiskey and then put the bottle away, moving next to the stereo system in the corner. Paris watched with amusement and intrigue as Jess came back for his bag, rifling inside for a CD that he put into the player. Loud drumming and overzealous guitars filled the room at a volume that made Paris wince at first, though she tried not to. Jess pushed one glass into her hand and raised his own towards her.

"Here's to the further education of Paris Geller," he said, with a grin that she couldn't help but find infectious.

"Cheers," she agreed, clinking her glass against his own.

Somehow she just knew they weren't talking about college!


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"This is really good."

At first Jess wasn't sure if Paris was talking about the music, the drink in her hand, or just the fact that he got her to finally relax for five minutes. He didn't bother to ask, sure that before long she would tell him. Paris was never shy about talking and giving opinions, but that was okay.

"I never do this, y'know? Never just... be."

"What is this life if full of care? We have no time to stand and stare," Jess quoted easily.

Paris turned her head to look at him and found he was much closer than she thought. He was such a puzzle to her, an anomaly, someone who just didn't fit into a box with a label on it. Most people were easy enough to figure. Even people like Rory who seemed to be kind of strange and unique sometimes. Jess was one of the smartest people that Paris ever met. He could quote Kipling, he knew Austen, but he loved the Beats too. He thought The Clash were god-like and most poetry was a waste of time. He seemed so much like the cool bad boy of high school lore, and yet he didn't care about being seen that way. From their conversation this evening, which had run the gamut from childhood memories to favourite movies, via everything in between, Paris had learnt that maybe Jess was just as lonely as she was much of the time, and that just maybe they were even more suited to each other than she ever could have imagined.

"Whose turn is it?" she asked, sipping her drink just to break the moment that seemed to be occurring between them.

Jess shook his head slightly, looking as lost as she was. They had started a game of truth, no dares involved, about an hour ago. In turn, they asked each other questions that must be answered honestly, an attempt to get to know each other better. This was only the second round of drinks they had poured so neither was anywhere near drunk, just comfortable, just happy. Still, it was nice sitting here, good music in the background, good company on the next seat of the couch. Paris was usually fun, but ever more so when she actually relaxed. Plus when she started spilling secrets, Jess realised she wasn't always quite so straight-laced as she seemed. Add to that the fact her family was just about as screwed up as his in its own way, and you had two people that were awfully well suited, however unlikely that seemed.

"You said before you never dated. Your choice?" he asked, the next question in their game in some ways, but something that had been on his mind for a while too.

"Sort of," she said, eyes dipping down. "I, er... I did go on one date, last year. Tristan DuGray. I was in love with him," she said quickly, taking a gulp from her glass. "He didn't care."

"Huh."

That was the only answer Jess gave. It was the only one Paris expected.

"There's more to life than dating," she said defensively.

"Hey, Jane Austen did okay without it," Jess considered, knowing that particular fact would resonate with Paris. "Your turn," he said then, prompting her to think of a question for him.

So far, she hadn't exactly pushed the envelope. She asked when he started smoking, what the deal was with his parents, why he didn't care about college, nothing that Jess much minded sharing. He doubted she was going to delve into anything he found uncomfortable any time soon, despite the fact Paris seemed to have a reputation for saying the wrong thing or asking the tough questions. Jess supposed he wasn't easily shocked and that maybe in the last few weeks he had just adjusted to the way Paris was and learned to embrace the crazy.

"When was your first kiss?" she asked then, eyes flitting everywhere but at him.

Jess was a little surprised by that one, but he had no problem in answering.

"Fifth grade," he said easily. "I got invited to Chrissy Mezzoli's birthday party, dragged into some stupid game of spin the bottle. I swear she'd been practising with that bottle," he said with a smirk.

"You're so sure she liked you that much?" Paris checked, making a face. "Fat head."

Jess laughed at that and sipped his drink. "Okay, you go. Same question."

"Sixth grade," she confessed, almost proudly somehow. "Tristan was dared to do it. The guy never did back down from a challenge."

She smiled a little too much in remembering the moment and Jess felt uneasy. Paris really had been into this DuGray guy apparently, and for a very long time. Clearly he didn't care about her, she had said as much already. Jess decided he didn't like him either, though thinking about why was probably dangerous.

"And that's when you fell for him?" he asked, not needing an answer because he could already tell it was true. "Wow."

"You don't get to judge me for what I felt," Paris snapped. "I just... I don't know, for a long time, Tristan was something to strive for, like Harvard, in a weird way. Apparently he was even more unobtainable than the Ivy League could ever be. You wouldn't understand."

When Jess didn't answer, Paris reconsidered her words. Maybe he did get it. After all, whilst he had no aspirations for college, he did have romantic ambitions. He wanted to be with Rory. That was how they came to be here in the first place. Somehow thinking of that hurt more than remembering how Tristan had ignored her, hurt her.

"Do you... Do you love Rory?" she asked eventually, staring into what remained of her drink.

"What is love?" said Jess softly, knocking back the last of what was in his own glass and then getting up from the couch. "I don't know. I like her. She's different to other girls I met. Also, I'd like to get one over on Forester," he said with a smirk.

Paris half-expected him to pour another drink, but Jess abandoned the glass and instead fixed his attention on the stereo. She almost hadn't noticed the music had ended, but certainly couldn't help but pay attention when the CD was changed.

"I know this one," she said with a smile as the opening chords of London Calling filled the room.

"We'd have to rethink this whole friendship if you didn't," said Jess definitely as he came to join her again.

"Friendship?" Paris checked.

"Friendship." Jess nodded easily.

He was a little closer than he had been before, Paris noticed. When they turned their heads to look at each other he almost went entirely out of focus, though some of that might also be the drink, Paris wasn't so sure. Inside, her heart was thumping to the rhythm of The Clash, her palms sweating so much the glass was slipping in her hands.

"You didn't answer my question," she realised then.

Jess shrugged. "No, I don't think I love Rory," he admitted then. "Sometimes I don't even know if I like her as much as I thought. I mean, she's not the only smart girl in the world, right?"

Paris nodded her head in understanding, swallowing hard as she waited for Jess to ask his next question of her.

"Your turn," she prompted when he failed to say anything for a while.

Honestly, Jess had kind of forgotten he was supposed to be asking anything. He forgot they had been playing this game in the first place as his mind wandered off in a new direction. It was weird. This whole con had been engineered so he could get Rory. Now he was having to examine why he was ever trying to date her in the first place, and he was kind of drawing a blank. All that he told Paris was true. He did like Rory, they got along well and had a lot in common, plus it was almost too much fun screwing with Dean's tiny mind, but he wasn't in love. Jess wondered if he ever could feel that way about anyone. Then his eyes met Paris' own and he saw something different.

He really liked spending time with her, she was weirdly easy to talk to, equally as easy as Rory, plus she was equally as smart, and even fun when he could get her to relax and everything. There were definitely other girls in the world worth paying attention to, he saw that now. He was seeing one very clearly all of a sudden, crystal clear even as she got close enough to go out of focus.

"You can have my turn," he told her, since no possible question was coming to mind in this moment.

Paris downed the last of her drink and moved just enough to put the glass on the table. It seemed wrong to break this odd moment occurring between them but the tension of it was killing her by degrees. Teen movie lore dictated that this was the moment when she totally got kissed by the gorgeous guy that had in fact come over to study, who was only pretending to be her boyfriend to get another girl. It was She's All That, Clueless, and a half dozen other movies that Paris would never admit to having seen all rolled into one, but she so wanted it to be true.

"How many girls have you kissed?"

The words were out there before she really had a chance to process them. It might have been easier if she wasn't looking at him when she asked, but Paris couldn't possibly look away.

Jess wasn't so sure he wanted to answer the question, but he supposed he had to. It shouldn't matter anyway. Paris couldn't care if he kissed one girl or a hundred, and yet he kind of wanted to avoid answering, especially now.

"Does it matter?" he asked, thinking at this point that they must be on the same page about where they were headed.

"Depends," Paris told him, swallowing hard one more time. "I don't expect to be just another number on a list you can barely remember."

Jess smirked at that, he couldn't help it.

"Nobody could forget Paris," he told her, only half teasing.

It was kind of cute the way she tried not to smile, right before they both moved in close enough to bridge the final gap between them. Jess really wasn't sure what to expect when he kissed her, whether she would suddenly bolt from him or genuinely embrace the moment. He was pretty certain it would be the former rather than the latter when she backed off within ten seconds.

"I... I don't know what I'm doing," she said in a soft tone he never heard her use before. "I told you, I haven't exactly..."

She trailed off, turning away a little. Jess' hand at her face brought her back to him. She was nervous, out of her depth. Honestly, he understood. As much as kissing wasn't new to him, feeling like this about it was. He didn't have words to say to Paris, just drew her closer again and let his lips find hers. Certainly Paris forgot to worry as she fell into this moment with Jess, and boy did it ever feel good to just let go. They were so caught up in each other, they were barely hearing the music in the background anymore, and that alone probably drowned out the sound of a car on the drive and movement through the house. The first Paris knew they had company was the living room door opening and her mother screaming in shock. Pulling away from Jess fast, Paris dragged the back of her hand across her mouth and stared in confusion at her parents. The look on her father's face proved that he was not at all impressed by what he just saw.

"Welcome home?"


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Paris had expected Rory to come seek her out first thing on Monday. Honestly, she was almost surprised she hadn't called over the weekend when she heard what happened. It wasn't that she didn't know how to be grateful for the sympathy, she just wished she didn't need it.

"I'm so sorry, Paris," said Rory, looking every inch the caring best friend that she sometimes saw her as.

"You're sorry? How do you think I feel?" she asked her, turning away and hiding her face in her locker a while.

"I can't imagine," said Rory sadly. "I couldn't believe it when Luke told me and mom what happened. It's crazy that your father would over-react that way."

"Believe me, I told him exactly that," said Paris, pulling her bag onto her shoulder and slamming her locker door. "Daddy really picks his moment to care. I was beyond humiliated when he showed up like that, just started railing on first me and then Jess. We were kissing for God's sake, not reenacting scenes from Boogie Nights."

Rory looked awkward at the words Paris used and how loudly she was using them. That was part of the reason why they ended up continuing their conversation in the girl's bathroom. That and Paris really didn't want anyone else to see her cry.

It was pathetic how emotional she felt, how torn apart inside by what had happened. That moment on Friday night when Jess had kissed her, it was almost too good to bear. She had been waiting for it for weeks now and finally it had happened. It made total sense to Paris that she had to suffer for it in the very next moment.

Her parents arriving home and catching them was embarrassing enough, but then to have her father go completely ape over the whole thing, literally throwing Jess out of the house, it was just awful.

"I didn't think it could get any worse than that," she explained to Rory. "First I was scared my father was going to hit Jess, and then I started worrying Jess was going to hit my father. He was so mad, they both were, and my mom is being all 'men are such pigs, they're only after one thing', holding me back so I couldn't even get between them!"

She relived it all in glorious Technicolor behind her eyes and wished she couldn't see it quite so easily. Rory's hand on her arm was supposed to be comforting, Paris knew, but it didn't help. If anything, it made her feel worse. Just when Jess seemed to like her better than his original romantic target, and now Paris had lost him, potentially forever.

"He must have been beyond mad to make Jess leave town," said Rory gently.

"Wouldn't you run if a man of fortune and power threatened to call the cops and accuse you of trespass, underage drinking, theft, and just about anything else he thought he could make stick, including assault on me?"

"Assault?" Rory echoed, eyes very wide now.

"Apparently I couldn't possibly have wanted Jess to kiss me, so he must be a monster for ever trying to get that close," she explained, rolling her eyes. "My father has no idea. He knows nothing about me at all! Good God, I don't think I could've wanted that kiss more!"

Paris took a minute to collect herself, pulling a deep breath in through her lungs and letting it out slowly. When she finally paid attention to her friend again Rory was looking a little bemused still.

"What?"

"Nothing." Rory shook her head. "I just... I'm sorry. It's a little weird to think about you and Jess kissing like that."

"Contrary to what you might think, Gilmore, you and the giant are not the only people allowed to make out!" Paris snapped at her. "I'm so stupid. I should've known something like this was going to happen. Heaven forbid I should be happy with a guy."

"Paris, no," Rory told her, shaking her head. "Why would you say that? You're due some good luck with guys after Tristan and everything, and Jess is a good guy. You two were so happy together."

Paris laughed at that. She didn't have the words to even explain to Rory all the flaws in what she just said. Not that any of it was entirely untrue, it was just the way she was labouring under the falsehood that Paris and Jess had genuinely been dating. Maybe now was the time to tell her the truth. It really couldn't do any harm now that Jess was gone. After her father's threats to call the cops if he ever saw Jess again, it seemed he had gotten Luke's number somehow. A big blow out led to Jess hopping on a bus straight back to NYC and his mother. Paris never even got a goodbye.

"Paris?" Rory tried, shaking her shoulder just a little bit. "Are you gonna be okay?"

"No," she admitted, swallowing hard. "You have no idea, do you?" she checked then, knowing from the look on Rory's face that she genuinely didn't. "It wasn't real. At least not for him, not at first."

"I don't understand."

"I know that you don't, because we were very good at what we were doing, apparently," Paris explained, a tired sigh escaping her lips. "That night at your house, when Jess and I both stayed to dinner, I got this idea. The next day, I pitched it to Jess and he agreed to go along with the plan. We figured if we pretended to date, you would get jealous. In the end, you'd break up with Dean and Jess would get exactly what he wanted. Meanwhile, I would have the satisfaction of knowing I brought about the happiness of two people I could actually call friends," she said, smiling slightly at Rory.

There it was, the whole truth, at least the first part of the situation. There was a whole lot more to be said yet, but that was all dependant on Rory's reaction. So far it seemed to be silent and a little confused.

"Okay", she said eventually, closing her eyes and shaking her head as she tried to unscramble her thoughts. "Um, you and Jess were pretending to date? To make me jealous?"

She sounded a little mad. Paris had expected that, so at least she was ready for it.

"Yes and no," she explained. "That was the premise in the beginning, but quite honestly, I knew from the start that I wasn't entirely pretending. I told you I thought he was cute and I appreciated his literary tastes. Besides, you heard me tell Dean that I had a crush."

"You were lying!" Rory yelled. "You were supposed to be... You said it was just to cover for me. You encouraged me to date Jess instead!" she recalled, perhaps a little too loudly.

"Because he liked you, and you seemed to like him," Paris countered. "Besides, given the choice between a guy like Jess and a guy like Dean, what sane person would really choose the latter?"

"I would!" Rory yelled right back at her. "Not that I don't like Jess, I do, he's a great guy, and maybe in different circumstances, I would've wanted to date him, but I'm with Dean. I love Dean. Nothing made that clearer to me than seeing you and Jess together the past few weeks and knowing I was happy for you."

"You were?"

"I told you I was, Paris," Rory reminded her.

"People say things like that all the time, it doesn't mean they're true." Paris rolled her eyes. "A good friend will be happy for you even if she thinks you're a fool, right?"

Rory opened her mouth to reply to that and then closed it again fast. Somehow she had a feeling Paris was talking more about her own opinion of herself and Dean now, rather than Rory's opinion of Paris and Jess. Not that it mattered right now.

"Okay, so if this was all a con to make me jealous, why were you and Jess kissing, alone at your house?"

"Because, things changed," said Paris awkwardly. "For him, I guess. They didn't need to change much for me. I had a crush, I didn't think it mattered, but the more time we spent together the more the little punk grew on me," she said frustratedly. "It's so cliché to fall for the bad boy, but that wasn't even it. Sure, Jess liked to cut school, smoke cigarettes, question authority, but he was smart too. He had brains and great hair and that smirk. My God, that look should come with a health warning."

"It is kind of sexy," Rory admitted, before thinking better of it when Paris glared at her. "I get why you like him, Paris. I really do. And he must've liked you too, if he kissed you."

"Maybe." Paris sighed. "Since I never got a chance to talk to him after the event, I guess I'll never know. We had such a great night," she admitted then. "We just... talked. I mean, you and I both know Jess did not need a tutor, so we put the books aside. He put on a CD, poured us a drink, and we just talked, for hours," she explained with a giddy smile the like of which Rory had never seen on Paris' face before. "He was good at that, making me relax and everything. It's the one thing I suck at."

"Nobody can be good at everything."

"True. Jess was pretty good at most things though. Everything from literary debates to... well, what we caught doing."

"It was just kissing, right?" Rory checked, unsure why she really wanted to know now that she asked.

"Yes, it was just kissing!" Paris snapped. "But it was really good kissing," she said then, sighing heavily. "I have a limited frame of reference, but it felt good to me."

The smile was gone, replaced by the most awful, sad expression. If Rory didn't think Paris would break her arms for trying it, she would've given her a hug. As it was she just patted her on the shoulder and tried to look as sympathetic as possible. It really wasn't difficult at all.

"I'm sorry, Paris," she said genuinely. "I wish there was something I could do to make it better."

"Yeah, me too."

* * *

"I knew it!" Lorelai yelped, magazines dropping from her hands to the coffee table with a thud. "I knew they were up to something!"

"Seriously?" Rory checked. "You knew Paris and Jess were fake dating?"

"Well, I didn't know for sure, but I was pretty darn certain," her mother insisted. "Honestly, I didn't want it to be true. I would've loved to believe those two were for real, just so it meant that your relationship with Dean wasn't in danger."

"Mom, my relationship with Dean is fine," Rory insisted. "It was never really in any danger."

"You sure about that, sweets?" her mom checked, not looking entirely convinced.

Rory ducked her face behind her hair a moment and it was all the answer Lorelai needed.

"Yeah, thought so."

"No, it wasn't even like that," Rory insisted. "I mean, yeah, I like Jess. When he first showed up, I wasn't blind, I knew he was cute, and y'know that bad boy vibe is like catnip to all women, am I right?"

"You're not wrong," Lorelai admitted. "Plus he had that whole 'I love books' thing that was always going to appeal to you."

"And maybe, maybe if I wasn't with Dean and completely in love with him, then maybe my head would've been turned by Jess," Rory admitted. "But nothing he did was enough to make me consider leaving Dean. That should prove where my heart lies."

"I guess it does." Lorelai nodded. "And for the record, I wasn't accusing you of anything, sweets. At least, nothing worse than being flattered by a guy."

"I was flattered," Rory agreed. "And yeah, when Jess and Paris started dating, I was a little jealous, mostly because I lost that attention I was getting, I guess. After a while though, I got over it. Jess and Paris both seemed so happy."

"And apparently they were," said Lorelai. "At least Paris was."

"I think Jess was too. As much as they were supposed to be pretending - and maybe he was in the very beginning - I saw the way they were together recently. Besides, I can't imagine how Paris' parents would've caught them kissing unless they wanted to be kissing each other."

Lorelai considered that and then shuddered.

"Wow, imagining Paris in a lip lock with anyone is disturbing, but with Jess?" she declared, shivering all over again, and not in a good way. "But hey, I guess if they were happy then it kinda sucks it's all been blown to hell."

"It does that," Rory agreed. "Paris is so upset, and I doubt Jess is too happy to be back in New York again."

"From what Luke said, it was mostly his choice," said Lorelai. "I know he blew up at the kid, but Jess was the one who offered to leave. I guess he thought it was safer, with the Gellers threatening the cops and all."

"I guess."

Honestly, Rory just felt bad for her friends right now, mostly for Paris. To think that she finally found a guy she liked that actually liked her too, and now it was all over. Plus Luke was pretty upset over the whole situation with Jess. He hadn't even opened the diner this morning, just left a sign that said he had gone fishing and disappeared. Things were not going well for most of the people she liked the most, and Rory hated that.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"I'm going insane," Jess muttered to himself as he picked up the receiver of the payphone one more time, finally committed to the call he was sure he wanted to make.

He was taking a big risk and he knew it, but hopefully it would pay off. Dialling fast before he lost his nerve again, he fed the phone with change and listened to the ringing sound. After four rings someone picked up and an accented voice spoke to him.

"I need to talk to Paris," he said. "Is she home?"

"This is Jess, yes?" asked the voice almost too quietly for him to hear, and he barely had a chance to say yes before she spoke again. "Graças a Deus! I put you through."

The Portuguese nanny that Paris often talked about, it had to be her that picked up his call. Jess would lay good money that he didn't have on the fact he just managed to connect to the one person in the Geller household actually willing to put him through to Paris' room. That was kind of miraculous, but he wasn't about to complain.

Not that he really knew why he was calling like this, or maybe he did but admitting it to himself was coming that much harder. Things were so messed up right now, and though he had a lot of time to think it all over since he got back to New York, Jess felt he was no further forward on how to fix a very broken situation.

"Jess?" said Paris' voice urgently. "Is that you?"

"It's me," he told her, wondering at his own goofy smile when he her heard her speak. "How're you doing?"

"How am I doing?" she echoed, starting to sound angry. "Are you seriously opening with that question? How stupid are you?"

"So glad I called," Jess dead-panned. "I thought I was asking how you were. Isn't that what people do when they call?"

"Perhaps ordinary people, yes, but in the circumstances I would've thought you might have something better to say!"

She sounded pissed. She sounded like Paris. Not that Jess had a clue who else he was expecting. He had been gone little more than a week. It wasn't as if his pseudo-girlfriend was going to change that much in nine days of absence, and he was glad to realise it. Of course, now he had her attention, he really wasn't sure what it was he had called to say. The truth was, he missed her. The sound of her voice and the sight of her smile. He missed the debates and the jokes. He wanted to be where she was, preferably kissing her again like the night he left. Man, he had screwed this whole thing up, and for all that he was supposed to be so smart, Jess could not find a way to make things better.

"I guess your dad's still out for my blood," he checked after a while.

"We haven't really talked since you left," Paris admitted. "Apart from my explaining to him that I am not a child and he has no right suddenly deciding he cares about me just because he found me in flagrante with a guy."

Jess smirked at the way she phrased it, and almost all out laughed when he pictured Paris tearing her father down the way only Miss Geller could. She was one perfect example of the phrase 'you're beautiful when you're angry' though Jess had learnt there was rarely a time when she was at all hard on the eyes anymore. It was probably true what they said, that people became more physically attractive if you fell in love with other things about them. Not that Jess would say he was in love with Paris exactly. He liked her though, more than he ever knew he could. Shame he hadn't the words or the nerve to tell her all that.

"I guess your mom is glad to have you home," she said then.

Jess scoffed at the very idea. "Please! Liz barely notices when I'm around. I spend most of my time in the park with a book."

"Central Park?"

"Washington Square Park. It's cooler."

"If you're there, I guess it must be," she said without thinking.

Jess almost heard the falter in her voice, could picture the look on her face as she realised what she said. They rarely complimented each other out-right, not even in front of Rory when they were playing at being a loved-up couple. Jess had started to wonder in the last few days of their relationship just how much of it was fake on Paris' side, and perhaps more to the point, how much he had really had to pretend himself.

By the time they were sat on the couch together at her place, close enough to kiss, it seemed insane not to go for it. He wanted to make the move, and she wasn't exactly acting coy. She sure got into the moment when it happened. Jess wasn't sure how far things might have gone if her parents hadn't walked in when they did.

The phone beeping in his ear brought Jess back to reality.

"I gotta go. Running out of cash."

"Okay," said Paris. "I, er... Thanks for calling," she said lamely.

"Sure. I'll... see you around."

Jess hung up fast and cursed himself for being such a fool. Calling Paris was such a stupid idea, especially when he had no clue what he was ever going to say. Neither of them were the type to start confessing feelings or to get romantic. It wasn't their style. If they were in the same room, even the same town, it might have been easier, but miles apart, potentially never going to see each other again, it was ridiculous. Kicking the kerb and telling himself he was an idiot, Jess shoved his hands deep in his pockets and headed for home.

* * *

"I'm going insane," Paris muttered to herself as she stepped out of the bus station onto the busy New York streets.

She was taking a big risk and she knew it, but hopefully it would pay off. Walking fast before she lost her nerve again, she weaved in and out of people, headed straight for Washington Square Park. She asked for directions only once, just to be sure she was going in the right direction, and then suddenly she could see him. There was Jess, sat on a bench with his back to her, but she would have known him anywhere. If Paris was less of a realist she would say her heart skipped a beat.

Taking a deep breath, she walked with a purpose until she was casting a shadow over him and his book.

"Hello, Jess."

He stopped reading, closed the book but didn't turn for a moment. Paris would've laid all the money she had on the fact he was smirking, winning her bet when Jess turned to look at her then.

"What're you doing here?" he asked her, smirk turning into a smile. "And in that outfit," he said, eyes raking over her body in Chilton Prep School attire.

"I cut school, idiot!" she snapped at him. "How else do you think I was going to come here without my parents sending out a search party?"

She stood with her arms folded across her chest, trying to maintain an air of anger and aloofness. Paris knew if Jess came any closer she was going to break, but for as long as she could she would at least try to hold it together. As it was she was itching to reach out for him, if only to prove to herself that she had imagined how good it was to kiss him by doing so again now and getting it over with. If only she dared.

"I can't believe you did this," said Jess, getting up from the bench and coming to stand before her. "It's so not you."

"Well, maybe you don't know me as well as you thought," she told him quickly, "or maybe I let you see more of the real me than I ever showed anyone," she confessed. "I'm not sure even I know anymore."

It was clear that Jess had no answer for that. Paris could see in his face that she had shocked and confused him, but he wasn't backing off, wasn't telling her to go home because he wasn't interested. Maybe when he called last night he had been wanting to see her. He hadn't mentioned Rory once, not even to ask if she was okay or still dating Dean. He only asked about Paris herself. He only seemed interested in her alone.

"Er, you hungry?" asked Jess then, looking away a second. "Or is that one of those stupid questions that I shouldn't ask?" he checked, smirking a little.

Paris smiled, she couldn't help it.

"I could eat," she confessed.

Jess nodded. "I know a place"

When they turned to start walking, Paris felt ridiculously girlish, more so when she felt Jess' arm go so naturally around her shoulders as he led her around the corner into the next street. She had no idea where this day was going or what would happen when it was over, but for as long as it lasted she was going to embrace it, even if that meant she was crazy, even if this whole thing was nothing more than a really great dream. In this moment, she wouldn't be at all surprised to wake and find that was all it had been.

* * *

Jess didn't know what to think when Paris showed up at the park. It honestly never occurred to him that she would do something like that, just cut school and come here only for him. Of course he realised she probably liked him more than their fake relationship had allowed for, and he knew that he was feeling something for her too, but acting on it now felt strange, even more so than that night at her house when they first kissed.

Walking around the city together, eating hot dogs, taking in the atmosphere, and talking about everything but what might be between them, Jess knew eventually they were going to have to face facts. When he caught Paris checking her watch again, he knew she was gong to be leaving before long, and yet they hadn't said a word yet about what had happened back in Hartford, or what might happen next.

"How long 'til you go?" he checked, leaning back against the shelves of the bookstore.

"Another half hour," said Paris, looking intently at the volume in her hands now. "I'm still not sure about buying this."

"Because your parents would want to know where you got it?"

"I could go to Mexico and bring back a pinata and a sombrero without them noticing most of the time," she noted, rolling her eyes. "Of course the one day they decide to pay attention to me was right when..."

Her voice trailed away when she looked up and met that intense smouldering gaze that only Jess seemed capable of. They both knew what day and moment she was referring to. Stupid really that she couldn't just say it, but Paris was struck dumb still by the very memory of his lips on hers.

"Is this how it's going to be?" she asked Jess then, getting frustatedly angry, more at her own inability to say what she meant than his own. "You're just going to stand there staring at me like the smouldering romantic hero of some novel Louise would read, never telling me what you're thinking or feeling?"

"Yeah, because you're a real open book," replied Jess, rolling his eyes. "What do you want me to say anyway?"

"Are you at least glad I came here?" asked Paris crossly.

"Yes," Jess told her honestly, coming closer.

"Do you regret what happened at my house that night?"

"No. Do you?"

"Despite knowing that the truthful answer to this question must make me psychologically imbalanced - no, I don't regret it," she told him honestly, swallowing hard when she found him to be right in front of her, blocking her in a corner.

It didn't matter. Paris didn't want to run even if he let her. When Jess moved to kiss her she was a willing participant in the moment that followed. His hands pulled her closer, her arms wrapped around him and she let the book drop from her hands to the floor unnoticed. It was only when some other patron of the store walked by and tutted at them for their behaviour that either Jess or Paris seemed to remember they were in a public place.

"I have to go," said Paris then, though she had yet to move so much as an inch out of Jess' arms.

"Was it always the plan?" he asked, as if he never heard her speak. "When you said we should fake date to make Rory jealous, were you just running your own scam?"

"No," Paris denied it hotly. "At least, not deliberately. Believe it or not, I was trying to be a good friend. If you weren't so annoyingly attractive and smart, this never would have happened."

"You actually want me to apologise for that?" asked Jess. "Because honestly? I could say the same thing."

Paris smiled at the back-handed compliment but then pulled out of his arms before she did something even more stupid. She meant what she said before, she had to go, and it had to be now before she was missed.

"I..."

"Have to go," he said for her. "You said that already. I'll walk you back to the bus station."

"No," Paris insisted, shaking her head. "I can't do the whole Romeo and Juliet balcony scene of a goodbye. It's too... Rory," she settled on eventually.

"Okay." Jess nodded. "So, I guess this is it."

"Maybe, unless you grew a pair and came back to Stars Hollow," she told him with a look. "My father won't really call the cops on you, y'know? he was mad, but he's practically over it already. If we played this right, we could-"

Her words were cut off by Jess' lips on hers one more time. Her eyes fell shut on contact and barely opened in time to look at him when he spoke again.

"Goodbye, Paris," he told her, moving her hair back behind her ear.

"Goodbye, Jess," she echoed, nodding as if agreeing that this was how it must end.

She turned and walked away, not daring to glance back for a second. If she did, she might actually cry, and that was beneath her.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"You did what?"

Rory's eyes were so wide that she looked like a cartoon to Paris. It might have been amusing if she was in that kind of mood. Right now, she wasn't.

"Would you like to yell a little louder?" she hissed. "I'm not sure the people on the plane flying overhead quite heard you."

"I'm sorry," Rory lowered her voice, looking around the cafeteria at the attention she had inadvertently gained. "I just... When you weren't in school, we all assumed you were sick."

"Sick is a little strong. Possibly temporarily insane," said Pars thoughtfully. "I can't explain it, I just had to go. The planning was minimal. I left my car here knowing from experience what a pain in the ass driving in the city can be. Hopped on a bus and then I was kind of committed."

"But Jess didn't know you were going?"

"He called the night before to talk, told me where his usual place to hang out was. I just headed towards Washington Square Park and there he was. He was surprised to see me, especially dressed like this," she explained, rolling her eyes, "but not unhappy."

The smile on her face told Rory that Jess wasn't just not unhappy to see Paris, he was probably thrilled. They were an odd pairing, there was no denying that, but Rory supposed there were a lot of couples that didn't really seem suited on the surface. If you knew both people well enough, you could see how it worked. Paris and Jess both loved books, much like Rory herself, and they could argue for hours on the points they disagreed on. The opposites attract thing was probably in play too. Paris was so intense about school and education, while Jess was kind of laid back about that kind of thing. They complimented each other in ways Rory couldn't explain but it just seemed to work for them. It sucked that they had been torn apart just when things were finally happening.

As Paris went on to explain how her day in New York had turned out, Rory found herself feeling a little jealous. It wasn't that she wished she was Jess' choice still. She was happy with Dean and that was the truth. It was just so romantic and exciting, running away to see the guy you weren't supposed to like. Very Romeo and Juliet, though she wasn't about to tell Paris that. Somehow Rory figured she wouldn't appreciate the comparison, especially when she considered the ending to that particular play.

"And then I had to come back so I would get home at the usual time," Paris finished off her story. "I knew my parents probably wouldn't notice, but I couldn't take that risk right now. I told Jess he could come back, that I might be able to smooth things over so it would be okay but... I don't know," she said, shaking her head. "I'm still having trouble with the fact that I even care about the guy, or any guy. I mean, I'm not this girl, Rory. You know I'm not."

"Paris, you're seventeen and female. We're all this girl sometimes," Rory promised her. "So you never had a guy that you felt like this about before, now you do. It's not a bad thing. You do know you can be committed to your education and a boyfriend, right?"

"I guess."

Paris considered it all carefully. She had managed to balance school, college prep, and faking a relationship with Jess pretty easily. None of her grades had suffered at all, though she did have to fight through these past couple of weeks since the night Jess left town and her parents lost their minds. Surely a real relationship couldn't take up any more of her time and focus. She could handle it, but then there was nothing to handle if Jess stayed away. All Paris knew for sure right now was that thinking about it too much was making her even crazier than she already felt.

"So, the reason I actually sat down at this table was not to discuss Jess," she admitted then. "Though admittedly it is nice to have one friend who will listen and not judge. The rumour mill has been pretty crazy since everybody found out what happened that last night before he left. Suddenly my reputation has me catapulted from Cecile to Kathryn in one easy step. It's a little intense."

Rory smiled at that.

"I'm here if you need me, Paris," she promised. "I know it's a little weird with you guys only pretending to date because of me to start off with-"

"Please, don't remind me." Her friend rolled her eyes. "I still don't know what I thought I was going to achieve."

"You were trying to be helpful," Rory said with understanding. "Maybe it was a little misguided, but you're new to the friendship thing. You'll learn," she told her with a smile.

"Don't bet on it," Paris replied, though she was smiling too, in fact Rory noticed she was smirking, probably a habit she picked up from her would-be boyfriend. "So, the real reason for this conversation. As you know, I'm running for Student Body President, and I have to say, it's not going as well as I hoped. The idiots in this school just don't understand what it is to be a good leader. They would rather vote for their stupid friends, that go to their stupid parties, than someone like me. My minor bad girl indiscretions don't even seem to be scoring me as many points as they should. You know I'm the best candidate for running this place."

"Paris, you do know that Student Body President is not the same as Headmaster or Chairman of the Board."

"Maybe not, but it's as close as I can get right now."

Rory decided not to argue and took a large bite out of her sandwich so she wasn't tempted to say anything else.

"The fact is, I'm pretty sure I can swing the voters over to my side with the right running partner. Someone popular, well-liked, well-respected, but who will also actually have the brains to assist in office."

The look on her face as she spoke soon told Rory what she meant by her remarks.

"No."

"Rory, please?"

"No!" she repeated quickly, swallowing her food too hard. "Paris, I don't want to be Vice President of the Student Body. That's not my dream."

"But I need you. I'd do the same for you!" she argued. "I dated a guy to make you see how great he was. I sacrificed my own happiness in an attempt to help you!"

"Paris, that's not... We already established that was a misguided attempt at help," Rory recapped. "And I'm not... I..."

Her argument started collapsing as she looked at Paris, recalling how they were supposed to be friends now, how Paris was suffering the loss of her boyfriend that she only just got. If nothing else, running for Student Body President might take Paris' mind off Jess and make her feel better. Rory didn't suppose they would actually win, and even if they did, it wouldn't be so bad, she guessed. It'd look good on her college applications at the very least.

"Fine," she said eventually. "I must be crazy, but yes, okay, I'll be your running partner."

* * *

Rory looked amazed when Paris offered to drive her home. Paris herself knew she had an ulterior motive in going over to Gilmore's house to brain-storm ideas for their campaign. The other half of her reason for wanting to be in Stars Hollow was Jess' uncle. Just as soon as she and Rory were done with their planning, Paris drove to the diner and went inside, hopping up onto a stool at the end of the counter. There weren't too many people around, which was a good thing. She hoped to get a few moments alone with Luke to talk about what happened the other day in New York. She couldn't say why she wanted to tell him about it exactly, perhaps just because he was one of the few people she could talk to about her boyfriend that wouldn't think she was pathetic.

"Paris, hi," he said when he spotted her. "Er, what can I get you?"

"Just a soda please," she said politely. "Um, unless... Do you have any mac and cheese?"

Luke smiled and nodded his head. "One soda, one mac and cheese, coming right up."

Paris found herself smiling back quite easily. So maybe Luke did look like he should run a truck stop with a cat house upstairs, but she knew better now. He was a real nice guy from all Rory had said about him, and he had always been pleasant enough to her when he thought she was dating Jess. Paris couldn't imagine that Jess ever told his uncle it was a con, and now there was never any need to reveal such a thing. After all, whatever Paris was feeling now, it was very real, perhaps for Jess too, if what he said in New York was anything to go by.

A few moments later, when Luke returned with her food, Paris just blurted out what was on her mind without a moment's pause.

"I went to see him, in New York."

"Jess? You went to see Jess?" Luke checked.

Paris nodded her head. "I missed him, which is new for me because I don't really care much for a whole lot of people in my life. There are plenty I actually wish would go away and leave me alone for a while, but they never do. Jess is different. I can't explain it, even when I try, but I missed him so I went to see him. It seemed like the thing to do."

Luke nodded in understanding.

"It can be that way, when you care about somebody" he told her, smiling approvingly.

It felt strange to Paris, to be approved of like that, by some guy's guardian. She felt like she was in a romance novel and her suitors father had just decided she was good enough to marry. That was not something Paris ought to like, being a modern woman and all, and yet it was kind of nice to be looked at like that. To be considered the right person to be someone's girlfriend. There was a time not so long ago when Paris wondered if she would ever really date. If any man would ever be brave or stupid enough to want to be that close to her. Clearly Jess was one or the other. Maybe both.

"So, when you saw him, he was doing okay?" Luke asked then.

"He seemed fine." Paris nodded, picking at her food. "We talked some and we... Well, you know as well as my parents do what stage our relationship had reached," she said, stuffing a large forkful of mac and cheese into her mouth so she didn't have to say any more for a while.

Luke certainly didn't have a response to give. He really wasn't sure what to make of Paris when he first met her. She was kind of annoying and abrasive, opinionated too, but he had been reasonably polite to her because she was Rory's friend. When Jess admitted he was dating Paris, Luke almost thought he was joking, but actually seeing them together, they made a strange amount of sense. Neither would take crap from the other, and they were smart enough to keep up with each other too. Certainly it was clear they got along, that they really liked each other a lot.

For a while it had seemed as if Jess and Rory were supposed to get together, but now Luke realised that was never going to happen. Rory was too nice in some ways. As much as he loved her, he doubted she would have been enough for Jess. Paris was stronger, able to hold her own and not let her boyfriend get away with anything too stupid. Jess needed that, and Luke would have liked for them to have continued seeing each other. Seemed unlikely now.

"You miss him too," said Paris, a statement not a question as she watched Luke get lost in thought for a few moments.

"I kinda got used to having him around." Luke shrugged.

"I'm sorry he had to go away because of me," Paris said sadly. "If I could change it, I would."

"I know you would, Paris," he said, finding her a smile, "but it wasn't your fault that Jess went away."

"No, it was my stupid father's fault!" she countered crossly. "And of course he won't listen to me on the subject. Oh no, I'm useful enough for helping him out with the figures for a potential divorce or keeping the finances of the house in order, but God help me, I can't possibly have an opinion on my own boyfriend that matters at all."

Luke winced as Paris went into full on rant mode. She was still annoying sometimes, but damn if he didn't feel sorry for her right now. He felt sorry for Jess too, and himself, truth be told. It was a sorry situation, but Luke was starting to wonder if maybe there wasn't something he could do about it, if he put his mind to it.

"Hey, you want some ice-cream when you're done with that?" he offered Paris when she was finished with her rant and most of the way through her mac and cheese.

"I'm really not supposed to," she said awkwardly, before finding a smile, "but who cares, right? I should probably live a little while I can."

"Sounds like a plan," Luke agreed, though he was startled by the fact that she had even spoken those words.

Somehow he just knew she learnt that attitude from Jess.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Jess never thought he would see a day where Stars Hollow was the place he most wanted to be. When he was sent to Connecticut he was far from happy about it, shipped out of the city away from his friends, his school, his home just because his mother and uncle decided it was the best thing. It seemed like hell for a while, until he started making friends.

Rory was different to most other people in town, somebody Jess could actually talk to, connect with. For a while he thought it might be cool to remove her boyfriend attachment and date her himself. Then along came Paris. There was no way Jess could explain what happened in the time that they were fake-dating, only that the more he got to know Paris, the more he liked her, the more he wanted her instead. He still liked Rory, but not as much as he first thought. Surprising then perhaps that she was the first person, after Luke, that he wanted to see now he was back.

"Hey," he said when she opened the front door to his knock.

"Jess! Hi. I'm... You're here," she said, clearly shocked by his presence.

"Yup, right back where I started," he noted.

"But you left. I kind of thought you couldn't come back. I mean, is this just a flying visit...?"

"Hoping to stay, if things work out," Jess told her. "Actually, I was... Well, I was actually hoping you could do me a favour. I need to talk to Paris."

"She's not here," Rory frowned.

"I know. Luke says he arranged things so her parents won't kill me or call the cops if I come back, but the deal is null and void if I go over to her house or call her or anything. I was hoping maybe you could call, ask her to meet you?"

"And then you'll be there instead." Rory smiled. "That's actually kind of romantic."

"Thanks." Jess shifted uncomfortably on the porch until Rory spoke again.

"She actually won't be home anyway. She's at Chilton right now."

"On a Saturday?"

"Student Body Presidency," she explained. "The voting closes in an hour and she wanted to be there."

"Right." Jess nodded in understanding. "So, Hartford here I come," he said, stopping mid-turn to leave. "You look great by the way," he told her with a smile, admiring her bridesmaid's dress with an appreciative eye.

Rory blushed at the compliment, as usual. She could've just closed the door after that and yet something was stopping her. Jess had just reached the bottom of the steps when she called his name and came further out onto the porch after him.

"Paris told me," she said then, "about the whole pretending to date thing, because of me."

It seemed unlikely that Jess was the type to blush himself, but he did look awkward and all kinds of embarrassed when she spoke up about the con he and Paris tried to pull. Shifting from foot to foot, he eventually glanced up at her and spoke again.

"I'm sorry about that," he said honestly. "I wasn't... It was actually Paris' idea."

"I know, she told me." Rory nodded. "It's fine. I mean, no harm done. It's just... You're serious about Paris now, right? I'm not trying to be a fat-head or anything, but I'd hate to think you were playing her because of me, or for any reason, really, because-"

"I'm not," Jess cut in fast. "Look, Rory, I made a dumb mistake, okay? You were the first person - pretty much the only person, actually - in this crack-pot town to talk to me like a human being, and who knew anything about the stuff I liked. I don't know, I made a mission out of screwing with your boyfriend and trying to mess things up with the two of you. That wasn't cool."

"No, it wasn't," Rory agreed, "but like I said, no real harm done. Me and Dean are fine, and this whole thing led to you and Paris being, well, whatever you are."

"I'll let you know when I figure it out."

Rory smiled at that. She never expected Jess, or Paris for that matter, to suddenly profess undying love. She did know that they liked each other though, and way more than as friends. If they could find happiness together then she was all for that. It spoke volumes that Paris' plea for Jess to come home had actually yielded this result.

"I'm glad you're back, Jess," she said then, "and I'd really like for us to be friends, if that's not too weird."

"Friends sounds good," he agreed with a smile of his own.

Rory checked her watch then and frowned.

"The next bus to Hartford leaves the town square in ten minutes," she told Jess, who glanced at his own watch and then looked off towards the centre of town.

"Thanks, Rory," he told her, taking off at a quick pace.

* * *

Paris wasn't paying attention to the door at all. Her whole focus was on her cell as she prepared to dial Rory's number and give her the great news that they had won the vote. She was mid-dial when she heard a voice behind her that was perhaps the last one she had been expecting.

"Hey, Prez."

She spun around fast, her mouth falling open of its own accord as she faced the door and saw him there, leaning in the doorway like James Dean. Paris hated him for being that good looking, and loved that he was there. Right now she couldn't say which emotion was over-riding the other.

"You did win, right?" asked Jess.

Paris couldn't even process the question.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, hardly able to moderate her tone at all.

It probably came out as much like an accusation as anything. Jess didn't seem to mind.

"New York hasn't felt the same lately," he told her with a shrug, wandering over to meet her. "I thought maybe I could give Connecticut another try."

She wanted to ask if it was because of her. Paris hoped rather than believed she had anything at all to do with the decision. More than anything she was really hoping Jess was going to kiss her sometime soon, because if he didn't she was just going to have to do it herself.

"Congratulations, President Geller," he said, pointing to the banner that proclaimed the Student Presidential Elections had been going on.

"You expected some other result?" she countered like a reflex.

Jess just smirked, pulled her closer and laid his lips on hers. Paris was completely amenable to that move and fell into the moment just to be sure she didn't miss it. It took a a few seconds to get her breath back after that.

"Not that I'm unhappy that you're back," she said then, as if it needed stating, "but how are you back? I thought-"

"Well, sometimes you think too much," he noted, interrupting without a care, something most people wouldn't dare do with the great Paris Geller. "Luke talked to your parents. I don't know exactly what was said, but the gist is I can come back without having to worry about the law or Daddy's shotgun, so long as we play by the rules."

"Rules?" echoed Paris, eyes widening a little. "I'm sorry, my father and your uncle have come up with rules for us to stick to for as long as we're dating?"

"Is that what we're doing?" asked Jess, eyes sparkling with fun as he teased her.

"You betcha ass, Mariano," she told him, smiling also, she couldn't help it. "They really think we're going to stick to these rules, whatever they are?"

"Probably," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "Personally, I say rules are made to be broken."

Paris laughed then, she didn't know what else she was supposed to do. She had a boyfriend, a real one now, by the seem of things. She liked him, he liked her, and he had come back, for her. Between this and getting Student Body President, she was kind of on Cloud 9 right about now.

"You do know your timing is lousy," she said then, a thought occurring to her. "This presidential win is a package deal. It means six weeks in Washington for me and Rory. We leave on Monday," she explained.

Jess felt stupidly disappointed by that news. Just when he came back, she was leaving, and taking his only other friend with her. That sucked actually, but it wasn't the end of the world.

"What? You think when you get back I'll be gone again?" he checked.

"How should I know?" she said, shrugging her shoulders, looking just a little bit defensive. "It's not like you don't have form."

It wasn't fair, but then Paris often wasn't when she was feeling unsettled. It was one of a whole list of facts Jess had learnt about her over the last few weeks. For all that she had a lot of foibles and idiosyncrasies, he couldn't help but find the whole of her interesting, endearing, and pretty cool. Besides, it was kind of flattering that someone like her was so bothered about where he was going to be and what he was going to be doing while she was gone.

"Hey, how do I know you're not going to meet some hot-shot political candidate in Washington that's gonna want to sweep you off your feet?" he asked her, almost seriously.

"Shut up!" she said, swatting him in the chest.

"Hey, could happen."

"Maybe," she admitted, "but he'd back off when I told him about my boyfriend back home."

Jess smirked at that and pulled her closer again.

"For the record, I'm not planning on going anywhere for a while."

"Good." Paris smiled. "I've kind of got used to having you around, Bukowski," she teased him, moving in closer.

"You're not so bad yourself, Austen," he countered, meeting her in a kiss that sealed some kind of deal between them.

From now on, come hell or high water, this was how it was going to be.

The End


End file.
